Moscow summoned the US, British and Canadian ambassadors on Tuesday, accusing them of “interfering” in Russian affairs, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.
The exact reason for the summons was not immediately stated, but earlier in the day, Russian diplomacy condemned the diplomats’ criticism after Vladimir Kara-Mourza, a Russian-British dissident, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for “high treason”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that the three ambassadors — American Lynn Tracy, Britain’s Deborah Bronnert and Canadian Alison LeClair — “could be called upon to remember what diplomats should and shouldn’t do.”
AFP
Alison LeClair and Vladimir Putin in 2020.
On Tuesday, Russian diplomacy defended its position, condemning the “blatant interference” of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada in Russian “internal affairs.”
The conviction of opponent Vladimir Gara-Mourza sparked outrage in the West, which particularly condemned the “outrageously harsh” sentence and the “abuse of judicial power”.
