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The foreign ministries of Austria and the Netherlands have required Russian diplomats who are not accredited in those countries to notify authorities when entering their territory, according to a report by the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti, citing Russian diplomatic missions. RIA Novosti later added that France’s Foreign Ministry had notified Russian diplomatic staff of similar restrictions.
The decision applies to members of diplomatic, administrative-technical, or service staff who are not accredited in Austria, France, or the Netherlands. Under the new rules, if they plan to enter the country or transit through it, they must inform the local authorities in advance.
The Russian Embassy in Vienna said it received the relevant note from Austria’s Foreign Ministry on Jan. 26. Russia’s diplomatic mission in The Hague said it was presented with the same requirement last week, calling the move “another element of a targeted policy of pressure and selective application of legal norms.”
It remains unclear whether other European Union members have already introduced similar restrictions.
The notification requirement for entry and transit by employees of Russian diplomatic missions to EU countries where they are not accredited is one of the measures included in the EU’s 19th sanctions package, approved in late October of last year. The measure took effect last week, on Jan. 25. The European Commission linked the restrictions to its ongoing efforts aimed at countering “hostile intelligence activities that support Russia's aggression against Ukraine.”