Russia freezes bank accounts of Finland’s diplomatic missions, prompting cash payments

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s foreign minister says Russia has frozen the bank accounts of Finnish diplomatic representations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, forcing the missions to resort to cash payments. Pekka Haavisto says Moscow’s move at the end of April breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Helsinki has delivered a diplomatic note on the matter to Russia. He said Moscow’s measure affected, among other things, the payment of rents, electricity and water bills by the Finnish Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, which now have to rely on their cash assets. The move does not, however, affect salary payments to staff.