Folks, I am not surprised of the USA reaction to "Putin: 755 US embassy staff in Russia must go, time to show we won’t leave anything unanswered" response the US Congress imposements of sanctions on Russia. Lukashenko, aka the last dictator of Europe, also made the US embassy in Belarus cuts its staff, only to hurt his own people.
I believe this must be security maneuver to slow, interrupt or halt mass emigration out of their respective nations.
"US embassy in Russia temporarily halts issue of non-immigrant visas"
https://www.rt.com/news/400346-us-embassy-russia-visas/
---- -- and according the the US embassy in Russia.
"As a result of the Russian government’s personnel cap imposed on the U.S. Mission, all nonimmigrant visa (NIV) operations across Russia will be suspended beginning August 23, 2017. Visa operations will resume on a greatly reduced scale. Beginning September 1, nonimmigrant visa interviews will be conducted only at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. NIV interviews at the U.S. Consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok are suspended until further notice. As of 0900 Moscow time Monday, August 21, the U.S. Mission will begin canceling current nonimmigrant visa appointments countrywide. The NIV applicants who have their interviews canceled should call the number below to reschedule their interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for a later date. NIV applicants originally scheduled for an interview at the U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok should call the number below if they wish to reschedule their interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
The staffing changes will also affect the scheduling of some immigrant visa applicants. Affected applicants will be contacted if there is a change as to the time and date of their interview.
For rescheduling of nonimmigrant visa interviews and other questions, contact: +7 (495) 745 3388 or 8 800 100 2554 (ITFN).
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and three consulates will continue to provide emergency and routine services to American citizens, although hours may change. (For American Citizen Services hours, please check the U.S. Mission to Russia website at https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/acs-hours.)"