The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US embassy of interfering in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation and encouraging protests within the country. This was reported on the website of the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, January 23.
“This is not the first time the US Embassy in Moscow has shown disregard for diplomatic rules and regulations by actively posting messages on social media in support of uncoordinated protests in Russian cities. In fact, we are talking about encouraging violent actions, hypocritically declared as a peaceful protest, in which the organizers cynically involve even minors, ”the statement says.
In turn, the US authorities were advised to tackle their own problems, including overcoming the deep division in American society.
In addition, according to diplomats, attempts to incite radical elements will have negative consequences for bilateral relations.
Earlier on the same day, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the day before the US Embassy in Moscow had begun to publish maps of the illegal marches that were planned. Information was also thrown in about a certain “campaign against the Kremlin”, which even the organizers themselves did not announce.
In addition, Alexander Malkevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Commission on Mass Media, stated that the unauthorized actions in Russia received organizational and financial support from abroad.
In different cities of Russia on January 23, uncoordinated actions take place. Several dozen people were detained in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is known that there are children among the detainees. Previously, the authorities have repeatedly reminded that the involvement of minors in riots is punishable by law.
On January 21, the hashtag #ChildrenVnePolitiki was launched on the Internet in order to ensure the safety of minors in connection with calls for unauthorized actions. The day before, on January 20, a massive spread of calls to participate in rallies on social networks was recorded. Moreover, the addressees of distribution were minors with an emphasis on children aged 12-14 years.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia announced that they would investigate and give a legal assessment of the facts of provocations or insubordination to the demands of law enforcement officers at unauthorized actions on January 23.