Fire Spotted at Russian Diplomatic Building in D.C.
First San Francisco. Now Washington.
A fire could be seen burning in the back of the Russian diplomatic building in Washington Friday evening, just one day after President Donald Trump ordered Moscow to scale back its diplomatic presence in the United States.
A fire could be seen burning in the back of the Russian diplomatic building in Washington Friday evening, just one day after President Donald Trump ordered Moscow to scale back its diplomatic presence in the United States.
The Trade Representative of the Russian Federation, located on Connecticut Ave. in northwest Washington, is one of several diplomatic buildings being shuttered as part of a tit-for-tat with Moscow. The building serves as both an office and a residence for Russian diplomatic staff.
Smoke and flames in the back were clearly visible starting late-afternoon Friday, and staff could be seen dumping what appeared to be paper into the fire. Earlier in the day, a workman scaled a wall in the back of the building with bolt cutters and removing security cameras.
The normally quiet building was also the scene of heavy vehicle traffic coming in and out of the driveway all day. Most of the lights were on Friday evening.
The fire at the Washington diplomatic outpost followed similar reports at the Russian consulate in San Francisco, which is also being closed down. It also capped off over 24 hours of frenetic activity at the Washington building that included shouting as people moved large boxes and piles of black garbage bags into the driveway, and then quickly packed them into cars.
Russia has until Saturday to vacate the building. The Russian flag was still flying as of 9 p.m. Friday.
More from Foreign Policy
Next Door to Ukraine, Moscow’s Grip is Tightening
In Belarus, Georgia, and Moldova, the Kremlin is waging a quiet war to consolidate its hegemony.
Almost Nothing Is Worth a War Between the U.S. and China
Americans and Chinese have to rehumanize each other in terms of the way we conceive of our problems and engage.
Russia’s Illegal Bridges Have Ukrainian Crosshairs on Them
Kyiv is determined to destroy a major supply line into occupied Crimea.
El Niño Is Coming—and It’s Going to Be Bad
The weather-related hazards will hit hardest in countries that are ill-equipped for the economic and political fallout.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.