A Russian delegation denies NYC its honorable presence 

A Russian civic group based in New York City will have to make due without a visit from four State Duma deputies, after the delegation announced on Thursday that it’s canceling its planned trip, in response to U.S. officials’ decision to remove the Russian flags from atop Moscow’s former consulate in San Francisco.

American officials shut down Russia’s San Francisco consulate in early September, but the building and real estate are still owned by the Russian government. On October 11, Russian diplomats say U.S. officials “tore down” the Russian flags displayed atop the building, while American officials say they “carefully removed” the flags.

In late August, “in the spirit of parity involved by the Russians,” American officials ordered Moscow to close its consulate general in San Francisco and two trade missions — one in Washington, D.C., and another in New York City. The new restrictions left Moscow with three consulates in the United States: in New York, Houston, and Seattle.