What are the implications of sanctions for work Russian Consulate in New York?
Russian Consulate in New York. The line of visitors at the entrance does not cross Fifth Avenue, stretching to Central Park, just because our diplomats are working for themselves and for that guy. Consul General Sergei Ovsyannikov, who had just passed Diplomatic Worker’s Day, for example, was going to meet him in Moscow. If not for the State Department. “I have been waiting for a replacement for more than ten months,” the diplomat says.
The Americans at the embassy in Moscow now do not even accept their own. Our diplomats work as before.
Inna Zimina and her son Victor came from Maine. Five hours of travel. Consulates in New York also include neighboring states. “Here I made a passport for myself. I did it twice. I gave the child citizenship and a passport. We have now arrived for the child to apply for a passport. No problems. Everything is very clear and great,” said Inna. And this despite the fact that the number of diplomats here has more than halved. There were 12 people. There are five left.
“Previously, only diplomats were sitting here. It’s the way it should be according to the regulations. But in this situation, you have to deviate from the regulations in order for the work to continue. Now employees hired on the spot are working,” says Sergey Ovsyannikov.
More than five million immigrants from the former USSR live in the United States. Many have a second citizenship, often Russian. The consulate for them is both a portal of public services, and a “single window” where they apply for powers of attorney and passports.
– Do you meet all deadlines? Do people leave dissatisfied?
– All deadlines are met. According to the rules, this is three months, but they fit in one and a half or two. We don’t have any delays,” assured Tatyana Petrunina, an employee of the passport department of the Russian Consulate General in New York.
There are none with the issuance of Russian visas to Americans, although there are continuous losses in the visa department. On the metal shelves of the visa department of the consulate in New York is an impromptu exhibition of the achievements of the visa industry. Who is not here! Whitney Houston, Mickey Rourke, Henry Kissinger, Rudolf Giuliani, Ban Ki-moon, Richard Gere, David Duchovny… Sting “hid” somewhere here. Documents of dozens of American celebrities who were issued and continue to issue visas to Russia passed through the hands of the employees.
Maria Lytikova (together with her colleague manage to process 500 questionnaires in a week, return passports to US citizens with Russian visas stamped on time) has not been at home for a year. The Americans do not renew her visa. “This creates huge problems, it is impossible to go to Russia, God forbid, if something happens to relatives, friends. I will be denied entry back,” said Maria.
There are no more crowded receptions where they were treated to dishes of Russian cuisine and sang Russian songs. By June, at the request of the United States, several more employees must leave our Consulate General.
Things are worse in Houston. There, together with the Consul General, only two Russian diplomats remained.