Russia Bans Congressman, 12 Other Americans

[Igel]

7. Could be worse.

A couple of days ago a "delegation" travelling on diplomatic passports was on its way to Voronezh to meet with the Ukrainian pilot held there.

The delegation flew to Belorusia, connecting to Moscow (and from there to Voronezh) and when the last guy was going to get on the place, some "people's deputy" to their legislature, he was told he'd been declared a persona non grata. His diplomatic immunity was then no good and he was illegally in the country. In typical fashion the declaration had been a carefully guarded secret. (Or the Russians found out he was on his way and made a call and this was the way of obeying the directive to stop the delegation.)

He was hustled into a holding room. His colleagues and "handlers" were on the plane and weren't allowed off. So he was there with no money and a cell phone and told he had to leave the country. And when he said he couldn't, he was arrested and, last I heard, still held there while the rest of his delegation went to Moscow--and were told nothing about why he wasn't on the plane or what happened to him. Fortunately he had his own cell phone and was able to call home, so to speak.