Putin signs law to limit staff in ‘unfriendly’ countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law limiting staff in embassies, consulates and agencies in “unfriendly” countries.

The law Putin signed will also order the government to cobble together a list of the countries that will be subject to the restrictions.

According to the Kremlin’s website, the cutbacks will take place in “state bodies and state institutions of foreign states committing unfriendly acts against the Russian Federation.”

The law comes as Russia finds itself in a slew of diplomatic controversies with European and Western powers.

Russia and the Czech Republic recently expelled diplomats after Moscow was accused of playing a role in an explosion at an arms depot in 2014 in Vrbětice.

Meanwhile, European nations expressed outrage at a military buildup along Russia’s border with Ukraine, which was reversed late this week, amid fears that Moscow was planning an invasion of eastern Ukraine.

And the U.S. slapped a slate of sanctions on Russia over its “malign” actions and cast out 10 diplomats, including some officials Washington accused of being intelligence agents. Russia responded by expelling several unnamed American diplomats.