The USA informed the Russian diplomatic mission about the decision to close the visa center with branches in Washington and New York, said the head of the Russian embassy in the country, Anatoly Antonov. According to him, the closure of the visa center will increase the workload on Russia’s diplomatic missions in the USA, writes RIA “Novosti.” After the event dedicated to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Russian diplomat stated that the embassy faces daily attacks from the American side. Before the ceremony, the diplomatic mission received a message that the visa center would be closed, complicating the work of the Russian diplomatic missions’ staff. The ambassador spoke about the staffing difficulties of some Russian consulates but promised that, despite all the difficulties, he would do everything possible to provide quality legal and consular services to Russian compatriots in the USA. Anatoly Antonov emphasized that the US authorities did not provide explanations for this step. According to him, Washington seeks to influence Russia’s foreign policy by forcing the country’s official representatives in the USA to “hide behind the embassy walls.” “This will not happen,” he stated. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised to present an adequate response to another unfriendly step from the American side if it is implemented.