Before the Las Vegas tragedy, our correspondent Valentin Bogdanov worked in San Francisco in a neighboring state. There the US intelligence broke doors and rummaged the Russian Consulate General. Our Foreign Ministry has already protested and said that Russia reserves the right to respond. Valentin Bogdanov has the details.
Those making themselves at home in the Russian Consulate building in San Francisco are marking their presence with a jeep with flashing lights at the fence. When the Vesti film crew appeared, they locked the door more firmly from the inside.
Having separated the living area, the State Department's subcontractors rasped away right on the parquet floor. The Americans gave our diplomats time until October 1. It also affected the residence of the consul. The empty walls of its main hall, from which opens a postcard view of the Golden Gate Bridge, were just recently decorated with paintings.
Andrey Varlamov, Senior Consul of the Russian Consulate General: "Please note that the main highlight of this view is, of course, our Consulate General, over which the Russian flag is waving. Despite the Americans' desire to remove it, we refused, and I hope that this flag will continue to wave in the future".
The library received high-ranking guests. State Department officials were invited, too.
Andrey Varlamov: «As our colleagues, they do feel some embarrassment. And it's not only about our colleagues from the State Department, but also many Americans expressed their regret and apologized for the decision of the federal authorities to close the Consulate General".
Like many ethnic Russians, Natalya voted for Trump, hoping for better relations. She even wrote him a letter on the eve of the inauguration, but the White House didn't answer.
Natalya Sabelnik, chairwoman of the Russian community coordinating council: "I think they're terribly afraid of Russia, its power. In the 90s, after the collapse of the USSR, they were glad, pitiful, promised help. Now that we regained our feet, we are strong. I think this is much the reason".
A model of Fort Ross holds a prominent place in the museum. In 1812, explorer Ivan Kuskov's expedition began the Russian California. The tricolor of the Russian-American company at the Ross fortress, it will be called fort later, was the symbol of progress for California at the beginning of the 19th century. Shipyard and brick production, windmills and even window panes all these were introduced to the future west of the USA thanks to Russian colonists.
In 2000, when the state was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the crisis, they wanted to close the fort. The Terminator (Schwarzenegger was then governor), however, failed to do so. Subsequent American politicians went even further.
The column leaves for Washington, which is a 7-day trip. Probably, it could be faster, but our diplomats are polite. They do observe not only international laws, but also American traffic rules.
Valentin Bogdanov and Ivan Utkin for Vesti from San Francisco.
