The secret history of the estates in Maryland and Long Island that had long served as compounds for Russian diplomats As payback for Russian interference in the election, then-President Barack Obama ordered a pair of estates owned by the Russian government to be vacated in December. Owned for decades as out-of-town escapes for Russia?s elite diplomats, these properties?the Elmcroft Estate in Upper Brookville in Long Island and one in eastern Maryland, outside of D.C.?speak to the elevated nature of diplomatic life.
Yesterday it was reported that President Trump may return these properties to the Russian government, according to the Washington Post. Recent negotiations over the properties, which took place in early May between the two countries, have included suggestions that these compounds may not receive diplomatic immunity. The Russians have said the ?seizure? of their property was at the top of their agenda. Labeled ?beachside spy nests? by the U.S., these buildings also represent part of the intriguing history of Russian-American relations, and how both have used this types of upscale real estate in their rival?s homeland for international relations, consular missions, and covert surveillance and spying. The Obama administration?s move, the largest expulsion of Russian officials since 2001, centers on a former governor?s mansion near Oyster Bay, Long Island, and a Georgian-style mansion on the Corsica River outside of Centreville, Maryland.
The mansion on the 1...