The heightened police security at the Russian Embassy in the Brussels municipality of Uccle put in place after the country invaded Ukraine costs Belgian taxpayers millions every year.
The gigantic 46,000-square-metre estate in Uccle includes a consulate, a castle as an ambassador's residence, an apartment building for employees, sports fields, greenhouses and even a school building. This major site is surrounded by more than 900 metres of fencing, with electric fence and surveillance cameras.
Still, Russian diplomatic representations at the embassy in Brussels have also been under 24-hour surveillance by police officers since two weeks after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian Permanent Representation to the European Union on Boulevard du Régent has also been permanently guarded by police officers since then.
The "indexed monthly cost" of these operations is €261,864, or just under €9,000 per day, De Standaard reported on Monday. Between March 2022 and April 2024, the surveillance mission has already cost €6,240,705, a hefty bill footed by the Belgian taxpayer.
Threat analysis
This increased surveillance was ordered following a threat analysis carried out by Belgium's Threat Assessment Body (OCAD), Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) said in response to a parliamentary question from MP Sigrid Goethals (N-VA).
While it is unknown what threats emerged from this assessment – so far, there have only been some demonstrations in front of the Russian Embassy – but the National Crisis Centre decided that permanent police surveillance was necessary. The Federal Police could then be called upon to intervene. "It's a question of maintaining public order and protecting people," said Verlinden. "These are the legal missions of our police forces."
However, both among people in the government and the opposition, no voices are being raised about this high cost of the surveillance mission. Most agree Belgium must protect the embassies on its territory, adding that breaking diplomatic relations with Russia and closing its embassy would be a "very bad idea".
The Russian Embassy is not the only diplomatic being guarded by the Federal Police around the clock. The Embassy of Israel has been guarded since June 2021 (due to a previous escalation in the Israel–Palestine crisis), while the United States diplomatic representation has been under constant watch since September 2021, after 13 US military personnel were killed in an attack in Kabul. The cost of both operations is €274,945 a month. The diplomatic missions of Ukraine and Palestine do not enjoy permanent police surveillance.
