U.S., Czech Republic included in Russia's "unfriendly countries" list

The U.S. flag waves in the wind at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, on April 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

The diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic would be granted permission to hire 19 employees from Russia, while the U.S. diplomatic mission is forbidden to hire locals.

MOSCOW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia has included the United States and the Czech Republic in a list of countries that have been classified as "unfriendly," according to a document published Friday on the country's official legal information portal.

"To approve the attached list of foreign states committing unfriendly actions against Russia, citizens of Russia or Russian legal entities, against which countermeasures established by the decree of Russian President [Vladimir Putin] dated April 23, 2021, No. 243 ... shall be applied," the document read.

According to the document, the diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic would be granted permission to hire 19 employees from Russia, while the U.S. diplomatic mission is forbidden to hire locals.

Earlier in April, Putin signed a decree on countermeasures to "unfriendly actions" of foreign states amid an intensified diplomatic row with the United States and some European countries.

The government has since formed a list of foreign countries "committing unfriendly actions" toward the Russian Federation, Russian citizens or legal entities.

These countries will either receive a cap on the number of locally hired employees or be completely banned from employing Russian staff at their diplomatic missions.