Russian ambassadors in Washington are being threatened with violence, and US intelligence services are attempting to reach them, according to Tass news agency.

Anatoly Antonov told Russian television that face-to-face interactions with US officials have ceased since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

“It’s like a besieged fortress. Basically, our embassy is operating in a hostile environment … Embassy employees are receiving threats, including threats of physical violence,” Tass quoted him as saying.

“Agents from U.S. security services are hanging around outside the Russian embassy, handing out CIA and FBI phone numbers, which can be called to establish contact.”

The CIA, FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the United States State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

People protesting the war splashed the Russian envoy in Poland in a crimson fluid on Monday.

Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia and the US were at odds over the size and operation of their respective diplomatic missions.

In March, Moscow expelled a number of US diplomats after Washington announced the expulsion of 12 Russian diplomats from the country’s UN mission in New York.

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