Real-life spy story: Washingtonians describe life beside now-vacant Russia annex
WASHINGTON — To the neighbourhood gossips, the grand grey Russian building atop the hill was a goldmine.
Now it’s empty.
Amid escalating tensions, the U.S. government this month kicked Russians out of three diplomatic buildings, one of them an international-trade annex perched majestically atop a slope in Washington.
Neighbours watched the exodus from the surrounding balconies. The Russians hauled out trash bags, and had one last barbecue behind the beaux-arts mansion. Only this time it wasn’t steak they were charring, but documents.