RIGA, Aug. 22 -- The Russian embassy in Riga stands at number two, Ukrainian Independence Street. Riga city council renamed that stretch of Antonijas iela in March 2022, and the mission spent eight months declining to use the new address before the sign went up regardless. Since the first of July, anyone walking to its door has had their identity documents checked by a Latvian State Police officer standing on the pavement outside.

On Saturday, seven weeks into that arrangement, Russia's foreign ministry said it was concerned about it.

The objection, carried by Russian state news agencies, is that the checks discourage people from approaching a diplomatic mission. What it leaves out is where the procedure came from. Latvia's foreign mini...