US protests over Russian 'harassment' as diplomats allegedly given date rape drug

• US says surveillance has ‘increased significantly’ in last two years
• State department: ‘We have raised our concerns at the highest levels

Alec Luhn in Moscow
Tuesday 4 October 2016 19.23 BST

The US state department has expressed concerns to the Russian government over the harassment of American officials amid reports that two diplomats were slipped date rape drugs in St Petersburg last year.

A man and a woman, both US officials with diplomatic passports, were drugged while they were attending a United Nations anti-corruption conference in November 2015, state news outlet RFE/RL reported, citing unnamed officials. The incident most likely occurred in their hotel bar, investigators concluded.

One diplomat had to be treated at a local hospital before being flown out of the country. Investigators were unable to gather evidence from the hospital or hotel, and Moscow said there was no evidence of drugging when Washington served it a formal note of protest.

When asked about the drugging incident, spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau declined to comment on specific cases but said the state department was “troubled by the way our diplomatic and consular staff have been treated over the past two years” in Russia.

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