Former Western ambassadors have described living and working under constant surveillance in Moscow, saying the pressure on foreign diplomats is greater now than at many points in the Cold War. Lynne Tracy, who served as the United States’ ambassador to Russia from 2023 to 2025, said the posting was “probably the hardest assignment of my career”. Five diplomats who have served in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine spoke about their experiences.
Western ambassadors are now regarded as “unfriendly” by the government of President Vladimir Putin. They say they are watched closely, cut off from much of Russian society and increasingly unable to understand the country they were sent to report on, as the war in Ukraine continues into its fifth year.
Constant surveillance and isolation in Moscow
The diplomats compared the current climate with the Cold War, when embassies were monitored through physical surveillance, listening devices hidden in gifts and a nearly invisible chemical agent known as “spy dust”, which was used to track officials. Several of them said the methods today are different but the sense of being watched is just as strong. Tracy, whose career spanned about 30 years, had previously served in Pakistan, where she survived an armed attack in 2008.
Despite that threat, Tracy said her posting in Peshawar was in some ways easier than Russia. “There, I still felt that there were things within my control. What made Moscow more difficult were the high levels of uncertainty,” she said. She linked much of that uncertainty to the constant pressure from Russian counterintelligence.
A former European diplomat recalled the warning he received before leaving for Moscow. “Expect listening devices, expect cameras in every single room of your house,” he said. Another former ambassador described how his guests were followed by agents of the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, right up to the doors of the embassy.
Russian diplomats in Western countries also complain of unfair treatment. According to the diplomats interviewed, however, the scope and tactics of Moscow’s intelligence services are far greater. Russian officials, for their part, have openly accused diplomats from “unfriendly countries” of espionage.
Intimidation, expulsions and a cash crisis at embassies
One former ambassador said he was forced to dismiss two Russian employees after the FSB tried to recruit them to report on everything happening at the diplomatic mission. The pair instead told the embassy, which dismissed them. He said the employees could otherwise have faced criminal prosecution. Russians who would normally build ties with diplomats, including people working in academia and culture, have also been intimidated into avoiding contact with Western officials.
Guests at the British ambassador’s residence in Moscow were harassed by pro-Kremlin activists and state media journalists this June, according to those who attended, and were then questioned by police. The events were held for the King’s birthday celebrations. One guest said he has since turned down several invitations to events at Western embassies because he is afraid to attend.
The former ambassadors said the atmosphere has taken a toll on staff. One said “constant paranoia” had driven a number of officials to quit their jobs. He added that even after leaving Russia himself, he looked over his shoulder for months.
Financial sanctions introduced by Western governments to support Ukraine created separate problems. After Russian banks were cut off from the Swift payment network and Mastercard and Visa suspended operations in Russia, many embassies struggled to cover basic running costs. One former ambassador recalled running out of cash and being unable to pay his staff. A fellow diplomat, who was selling his car after being expelled, brought rubles to the embassy in a suitcase. “It’s completely insane,” the diplomat said, laughing. “But you had to look at it with a sense of humour.”
Staffing was another difficulty. After Russia banned the hiring of foreign nationals in 2021, the US embassy’s facilities team was left badly understaffed, so even a minor plumbing fault could become a serious problem that consumed the time of diplomatic workers. One diplomat said he raised staffing shortages with a Russian official, who told him not to get too upset. “He said, ‘at least you still have the chef’.”
Diplomacy as a lifeline when ties are cut
Former French ambassador Pierre Lévy said that in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, governments across Europe discussed whether to recall their ambassadors or stop working in Russia altogether. He said he called Paris straight away to argue that withdrawing envoys would be a mistake, because the worse relations became, the more important their role would be. Another former European ambassador said the invasion quickly changed the nature of the job, making the co-operation needed for bilateral relations, trade and joint projects impossible.
Diplomats who stayed in Russia faced a new set of priorities. Countries regarded as unfriendly by Moscow still wanted at least some channel of communication with Russian officials, in order to understand what was happening inside the country. They also had to protect their staff and keep their embassies working.
Russian officials have also made their hostility clear. According to Russian journalist Alexei Venediktov, Moscow has been especially critical of those who show interest in dissent against the Kremlin and has effectively banned most Russian officials from speaking to Western embassies. Venediktov said this has worsened relations with the West, and recalled telling Russian officials that they were being misunderstood because of their own actions, since ambassadors could not do their jobs.
Today, one former ambassador said, Moscow has little or no contact with many Western governments. “There are no calls, no meetings at ministerial level.” Even so, the diplomats argued that this has made their role more important, as they are left to convey their governments’ positions to Moscow. “Generals prove what they can do during a war. The same is true for diplomats. When things get really difficult, every single thing you do actually matters.”
Tracy left Moscow in 2025 believing she had achieved her main goal, which was to keep the US Embassy standing firm. She said she was also proud of the work her team did to maintain links between Americans and ordinary Russians. She argued that those personal ties could help improve relations between governments in the future: “Because at some point, government-to-government relations will have a chance to improve – and those ties between people will be there to help speed the improvement.”
