For decades through the Cold War and beyond, Western diplomats based in Moscow served as critical bridges between competing powers, defusing escalating tensions even when bilateral relations hit their lowest points. But three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the role of Western envoys in Russia has been transformed into one of the most dangerous and isolating assignments in global diplomacy, according to firsthand accounts from five senior former diplomats who served in Moscow in the post-invasion era. In exclusive interviews with the BBC, these envoys – including former U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy and former French Ambassador Pierre Lévy – detail a surveillance and pressure campaign that harkens back to the darkest days of the Cold War, while bringing new logistical and psychological challenges that many say outstrip even the most high-risk postings around the world.
Surveillance and ‘constant paranoia’: Western diplomats tell BBC of life in war-time Moscow
