MOSCOW: Russia said on Saturday the United States was trying to fence off Russians with a “visa wall” after two Bolshoi ballet dancers were refused visas to perform in New York.
The Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the United States’ decision to refuse visas to Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova and soloist dancer Jacopo Tissi, who were due to perform at a Lincoln Center gala.
“This did not happen even during the Cold War,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
“But today, influential forces in the USA, preoccupied with trying to pressure Russia hard, do not stop at anything... They are trying to fence off Americans from Russians with a visa wall, as we’ve said before, making trips of our citizens to the USA practically impossible,” it said.
Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre said it could not comment because it did not organize the tour and had no information on the visa applications.
“Since the work visa was also not issued on time for Jacopo Tissi, an Italian national, we would like to think that this was related to procedural formalities and not to the current political tensions,” its press office said in emailed comments.
The US embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
On Friday, Kremlin said the United States was deliberately making it difficult for Aeroflot crews to obtain US visas, after the Russian foreign ministry said it could not rule out the possibility that flights between the two countries might have to be halted because of the situation.
Russia says US building ‘visa wall’ after Bolshoi dancers denied entry
Russia says US building ‘visa wall’ after Bolshoi dancers denied entry
- The Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the United States’ decision to refuse visas to Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova and soloist dancer Jacopo Tissi.
- Russian Foreign Ministry: “They are trying to fence off Americans from Russians with a visa wall, as we’ve said before, making trips of our citizens to the USA practically impossible.”
Suspected Russia shadow tanker escorted toward French port: prefecture
- The tanker, the Grinch, was intercepted Thursday morning in international waters
- French prosecutors suspect it of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet
PARIS: An intercepted oil tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet headed Saturday to a port in southern France for police to inspect, French authorities said.
The tanker, the Grinch, was intercepted Thursday morning in international waters between Spain and North Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on X.
French prosecutors suspect it of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet, a network of vessels Moscow is accused of using to dodge sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
The French navy was escorting it on Saturday evening toward the port of Fos-sur-Mere near Marseille, where it was scheduled to arrive later in the day, the regional maritime prefecture said in a statement.
It will be anchored and kept at the disposal of the Marseille public prosecutor as part of a preliminary investigation for failure to fly a flag, it added.
The prefecture said nautical and air exclusion zones had been established around the anchorage site.
Some 598 vessels suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet are under European Union sanctions.
Authorities said the 249-meter-long Grinch appears under that name on a UK sanctions list of Russian shadow?fleet vessels, but as Carl on lists compiled by the EU and the United States.
