Russia’s United Nations delegation has nixed a House Of Cards request to film two episodes in the UN Security Council. Vladimir Putin’s government cited the need to keep the world’s security chamber available at a moment’s notice for unanticipated crises, Foreign Policy reports. The UN Secretary-General’s office, which wanted the shoot to go forward, had promised the House Of Cards production would take place only at night and over the weekend in mid-August — times when world crises have never been known to erupt.

Less than a week ago, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office recommended the 15-nation Security Council allow the Netflix series to film in its chamber to raise public awareness about the organization. The UN has been actively courting Hollywood filmmakers, in order to promote a positive image of the United Nations. Obviously, they’ve never watched House Of Cards.

In the late ’50s, the United Nations turned down Alfred Hitchcock’s request to film that North By Northwest murder scene in its North Delegate Lounge. The Security Council did allow the council chamber to be used for an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot of then-U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice for Vogue magazine; it also gave thumbs up to the filming of a French diplomatic comedy Quai D’Orsay, reports Foreign Policy.

“We are of [the] opinion that the Security Council premises should be available at any time and on short notice. Besides that, we consistently insist that the Security Council premises are not an appropriate place for filming, staging, etc,” Russian diplomat Mikael Agasandyan wrote in an email to council members late Tuesday. China also seemed dubious about filming the series in the Security Council, but said it would reconsider, if council members were granted script approval, Foreign Policy added.

House Of Cards could still shoot at the UN, only in another section of the complex.