Compounds Closed in US Under New Anti-Russia Measures Bought in 70s, 50s

A US State Department official said that the compounds in the in the US states of Maryland and New York that Russian personnel have been denied access to under new US restrictions were bought by the Soviet government in the 70s and 50s.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The compounds in the in the US states of Maryland and New York that Russian personnel have been denied access to under new US restrictions were bought by the Soviet government in the 70s and 50s, a US State Department official said.

"The 45-acre property at Pioneer Point in Maryland was purchased by the Soviet government in 1972. The New York property is on Long Island and is 14 acres. It was purchased by the Soviet government in 1954. Access will be denied as of noon on Friday, December 30. Under U.S. law, the State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions can restrict access to such properties. The legal basis is the Foreign Missions Act (22 U.S.C. 4301)," State Department Press Officer Frankie Sturm told RIA Novosti.

On Thursday, a senior official from the administration of outgoing President Barack Obama said in a phone call with reporters that the compounds were used both for recreational and intelligence activities.

Earlier on Thursday, Obama’s administration imposed a series of punitive measures against Russia, including the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the closure of the two Russian diplomatic compounds, in response to Moscow's alleged interference in the US presidential elections.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists late on Thursday that Russia was going to adequately respond to Washington’s new restrictive measures.