The U.S. Embassy in Moscow received a diplomatic note from the Russian Foreign Ministry, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to media, declining to comment on details of the diplomatic correspondence.
Earlier, Russian news agency TASS reported that Moscow had demanded that the US diplomatic mission stop spreading ‘disinformation’ about a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, as the Kremlin calls its armed incursion into the country. neighboring country. In addition, according to TASS, the Foreign Ministry threatened to expel American diplomats from the country.
The warning included a scathing appeal to Lynn Tracy, the new US ambassador to Russia, told TASS, citing a senior source in the Russian Foreign Ministry, who said Tracy was instructed to Strictly adhere to Russian law in any statement regarding Russian military forces in Ukraine.” “.
American diplomats engaged, according to the source, in “subversive activities” will be expelled from Russia.
Russia has made “discrediting” its armed forces a crime punishable by five years in prison, and charges of knowingly spreading false information about the military carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Tracy arrived in Moscow at the end of last month.
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Moscow of starting an unprovoked war of aggression and reject Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that the ‘special operation’ is designed to protect Russia’s own security against the NATO’s eastward expansion.
According to TASS, an official memo accusing the US embassy of interfering in Russia’s internal affairs was delivered on Tuesday. US diplomats are accused of making so-called “inappropriate” statements about Russian leaders.
The agency did not specify which statements these were.
When Ambassador Tracy arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry in late January to present her credentials, she was surrounded by a crowd of people chanting anti-American slogans.
After the meeting, it was reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Tracy that he expected her to adhere to the principle of non-intervention in Russia’s internal affairs.
The U.S. Embassy released a statement saying “Ambassador Tracy is focused on maintaining dialogue between our capitals during a time of unprecedented tension, protecting the interests of American citizens detained in Russia, and strengthening ties between the American and Russian peoples”.
