MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The ministry said in a statement that the searches in the diplomatic compounds were initiated by US intelligence and could be used to organize provocations.
"The planned illicit searches of Russian diplomatic compounds in the absence of Russian officials and threats to break the entrance door is viewed as an unprecedented and aggressive action" the ministry said in a statement.
Anthony Godfrey, the minister-counselor for political affairs at the US Embassy in Moscow, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to receive a note of protest over the US authorities' plans to search Russia's trade representation in Washington.
"He was given a note of protest over the intention of the US authorities to search the premises of Russia's Trade Representation in Washington, which we were banned from accessing starting today even though this building is a Russian diplomatic property and has a diplomatic immunity," the statement says.
The Russian Foreign Ministry revealed on Friday the US security services were planning to carry out searches in the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, including its employees' apartments, on Saturday. The US State Department declined to comment on the information
The announcement followed the move by Washington to close Russia's Consulate in San Francisco and two other Russian diplomatic properties in Washington and New York, as Moscow's newly appointed ambassador arrived to the country.
