According to the Russian press, the Kremlin authorities have arrested three American diplomats, accused of having tried to enter a "secret" weapons test site in northern Russia. The site in question is located near the Russian city of Severodvinsk which hosts numerous military shipyards and is "off limits" for foreign citizens.
In August of this year, Western media reported on a mysterious explosion at a weapons search site located near Severodvinsk. It is assumed that the explosion occurred during tests of a top-secret rocket engine prototype. Russian authorities revealed that five workers had died as a result of the explosion. The media also reported that the blast caused a radiation leak affecting the city of Severodvinsk. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has always denied the allegations of radiological contamination and the reclamation activities carried out in the area surrounding Severodvinsk. However, it is known that the Russian authorities have nevertheless limited maritime traffic in the White Sea, on whose shores the city of Severodvinsk is located.
On Wednesday, Russian news agency Interfax reported that three American diplomats had been arrested by authorities near Severodvinsk, presumably because they wanted to enter the city without the necessary permits. The diplomats have not been named but are believed to be military attachés serving at the US embassy in Moscow. Interfax reported that the three were arrested on Monday while aboard a passenger train, after being detained they were interrogated and then released.
Il US State Department on the matter, in an official note, he stated that the three diplomats "they were on an official trip and had duly notified their trip to the Russian authorities". A State Department spokesman said Wednesday that the three diplomats' travel plans were cleared by the Russian Defense Ministry. But the Russian authorities said instead that the three military attachés had been allowed to travel to the city of Arkhangelsk alone, which is about 30 miles east of Severodvinsk.
"We are also willing to provide the US embassy with a map of the Russian Federation“, Concluded the Russian statement.