Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference that a US decision to  suspend issuing nonimmigrant visas in Russia was an attempt to stir up ill-feeling among ordinary Russians against the, NY Times reported.

“The American authors of these decisions have come up with another attempt to stir up discontent among Russian citizens about the actions of the Russian authorities. It’s a well known logic … and this it the logic of those who organize color revolutions,” Lavrov told reporters. 

US Embassy in Russia reported earlier that the US would suspend issuing nonimmigrant visas in Moscow for eight days from Wednesday and would stop issuing visas at its consulates elsewhere in Russia.

As it was also noted, the embassy made the decision after the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a cap on the number of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, adding that it would resume issuing visas in Moscow on September 1, but maintain the suspension at consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok indefinitely.