Consulate General of the United States, Yekaterinburg

Consulate General of the United States in Yekaterinburg
Map
LocationYekaterinburg, Russia
Address15 Gogol Street, Leninsky District
Coordinates56°50′00″N 60°36′36″E / 56.83333°N 60.61000°E / 56.83333; 60.61000
Opened1994
Websitehttps://ru.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/yekaterinburg/

The Consulate General of the United States in Yekaterinburg (Russian: Генеральное консульство США в Екатеринбурге) is a diplomatic mission of the United States in Yekaterinburg, providing consular services to Russian and American citizens in the Ural region of Russia and Western Siberia.

History

During the times of the USSR, due to the concentration of industries related to defense, most of the Ural region was closed to foreigners for decades during the Cold War, limiting the contact of the Siberian population with Western ideas. In 1992, the Russian Federation opened this region to foreigners and foreign investments, and the United States was at the forefront of Western efforts to establish contacts there. In 1994, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown opened the U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg, becoming the first diplomatic mission in central Russia after World War II. This was followed by other nations establishing their diplomatic missions in Yekaterinburg, such as Hungary, which opened a permanent trade representation in 1996, and the United Kingdom, which opened a consulate in 1997.[1] The first U.S. Consul General in Yekaterinburg was Jack Segal.[2]

In March 2020, the consulate limited visa issuance due to the COVID-19 pandemic for an indefinite period.[3] In December 2020, the U.S. State Department decided to suspend the operations of the consulate in Yekaterinburg, citing security and organizational issues.[4] In February 2021, it was reported that the consulate began accepting applications for the reissuance of American visas.[5] On April 1, 2021, it was announced that the provision of visa and consular services by the Yekaterinburg consulate was suspended, and the consular district of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was expanded to cover the entire territory of Russia.[6] After the approval of the Unfriendly countries list in mid-May 2021, the U.S. consulate in Yekaterinburg reduced its staff, and Consul Amy Storrow left her post.[7]

Consuls General

Term Consul Note
1994—1995 Jack Segal [2]
1999—2001 James Bigus [2]
2005—2008 John Stepanchuk [8]
2008—2010 Tim Sandusky [9]
2010—2013 Mike Reinert [10]
2013 Andrew Wieneracting [11]
2013—2015 Otto Hans Van Merssen [12]
2015—2017 Marcus Micheli [13]
2017—2019 Paul M. Carter Jr. [14]
2019—2021 Emily Storrow [15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "History and Background – U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  2. ^ a b c "FIRST U.S. CONSUL GENERAL IN YEKATERINBURG CONFESSES LOVE FOR DATSYUK". Archived from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  3. ^ "U.S. State Department Confirms Suspension of Operations at Consulate in Yekaterinburg". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  4. ^ Romo, Vanessa (December 18, 2020). "U.S. State Department Closing Two Consulates In Russia". NPR. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg Begins Accepting Visa Applications". 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  6. ^ "U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg Suspends Visa Issuance". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  7. ^ "U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg Reduces Staff". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  8. ^ "John Stepanchuk — Consul General". Archived from the original on 2006-05-08. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
  9. ^ "Consul General Tim Sandusky". Archived from the original on 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  10. ^ "Consul General Mike Reinert". Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  11. ^ "Acting Consul General Andrew Wiener". Archived from the original on 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  12. ^ "Consul General Otto Hans Van Maerssen". Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  13. ^ "U.S. Consul General Marcus Micheli". Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  14. ^ "Key Officers (Yekaterinburg)". Archived from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  15. ^ "U.S. Consul General Amy Storrow". Archived from the original on 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2019-12-29.