• US authorities blocked Russian diplomats from visiting the graves of Soviet soldiers killed in World War II.
• The Fort Richardson cemetery requires a permit.
• The Russian embassy tweeted that diplomats had visited the cemetery.

US authorities blocked Russian diplomats from visiting the graves of Soviet soldiers killed in World War II in Anchorage, Alaska.

“Unfortunately, local American authorities did not let embassy diplomats visit Fort Richardson National Cemetery and bow before the graves of Soviet pilots and sailors who died in Alaska in 1942-1945,” TASS reported.

“Attempts to access the memorials through the State Department failed; the [Russian] embassy’s diplomatic note was ignored.”

The Fort Richardson cemetery requires a permit, according to its website.

The Russian embassy tweeted that diplomats had visited the cemetery.

TASS said that nine Soviet pilots and two others are buried there.

They perished while flying Lend-Lease planes from the US to the USSR during WWII. Lend-Lease began before the US entered the war to supply allies with defense-related materials.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, diplomatic ties have deteriorated.

The Kremlin hailed the midterm election results, in which neither the Democrats nor the Republicans were clear winners, but said they wouldn’t “change anything vital.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time, “Relations remain terrible.”

Washington and Moscow negotiated the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russia released US Marine Trevor Reed while the US released Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko in April.

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