Empty Norwegian embassy in Moscow
Only 5 of 60 employees are left at the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow. The rest have been sent to Norway or to other places in Russia because of the choking smog and extreme heat that is tormenting the city.
One consequence is that the embassy has had to stop issuing tourist visas to Norway and the Schengen area until the situation is better, a note on the embassy’s web site reads.
- We have sent away all non-critical personnel and left only a minimum amount of staff, press spokesman in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kjetil Elsebutangen says to newspaper Aftenposten.
Elsebutangen advices people who have planned to visit Moscow to really consider whether they should go or not – There is no doubt it is a great strain to stay in Moscow in the current situation, he says.
Also The US, Denmark, Canada, Germany and Bulgaria have sent embassy employees out of Moscow.
Russia’s extreme summer weather has almost doubled Moscow’s normal death rate.
