Moscow says US embassy interferes in Russia’s internal affairs over Navalny case

The Kremlin says the US embassy in Moscow is interfering in Russia’s internal affairs after the American diplomatic mission said Washington supported “the right of all people to peaceful protest" amid rallies held in support of detained opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

US embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross made the remarks on Twitter, claiming that the US supported "freedom of expression” and that “steps being taken by Russian authorities are suppressing those rights.”

The embassy also distributed a “demonstration alert” to US citizens in Russia recommending they avoid pro-Navalny protests.

Prior to the demonstrations on Saturday, the US embassy had issued a safety warning to Americans based in Russia, saying that it was following the rallies.

On Sunday, Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with a state TV channel, lambasted the move as interference in Russia’s domestic affairs.

“Of course, these publications are inappropriate. And of course, indirectly, they are absolutely interference in our domestic affairs,” he said, stressing that the American diplomatic mission is “indirectly” supporting the violation of Russian legislation and backing “unauthorized protests.”

Peskov said that if the Russian embassy in the US issued similar information “this would cause a certain feeling of discomfort in Washington.”

Russia warns US against encouraging protests by Western-backed blogger

Moscow has warned the US embassy against any coverage of unauthorized rallies in support of Western-backed blogger Alexi Navalny.

His comments came a day after Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said the US embassy was publishing routes of planned protest rallies, adding that the representatives of the US embassy would be summoned and would have to “explain themselves.”

“Yesterday the US embassy in Moscow published 'protest routes' in Russian cities and tossed around information about a 'march on the Kremlin,'” she added.

Navalny, 45, was taken ill on a domestic flight on August 20 last year. He was later transported to the German capital, where he was hospitalized with alleged poisoning.

His aides, as well as the German government and some Western countries, had already claimed he had been poisoned before the domestic Russian flight, blaming Moscow, which has repeatedly rejected the allegations.

Moscow stresses that Western media coverage of the case of Navalny serves as a pretext to promote new sanctions against Russia.

Upon returning to Russia, Navalny was detained and an impromptu court hearing in Khimki police station, near Moscow, demanded that he must be remanded in custody, meaning that he will be detained for 30 days, from the day of his arrest on January 17, awaiting trial.

Navalny is accused of breaking the terms of his probation, following a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence he received in 2014. That conviction relates to a fraud case involving the French cosmetics brand Yves Rocher, which the opposition figure says was politically motivated.

Russia brushes off sanctions calls by West over Navalny detention

Russia rejects calls from the West to release opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who has returned to the country following recuperation in Germany from alleged poisoning.

Since his detention, Navalny has called on Russians to fill the streets across the country against the government of President Vladimir Putin. The call has drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets in Russia, demanding his release.

‘Russia ready to set up dialogue with US to discuss difference’

The Kremlin spokesman, meanwhile, added that his country is ready to set up a dialogue with the administration of the new US President Joe Biden in order to discuss mutual differences and reach a possible settlement.

Peskov added that Russian president would be willing to respond in kind if Washington showed readiness to talk to Moscow.

"Of course, we count on success in setting up a dialogue," Peskov was quoted as saying on TV by Interfax news agency.

"This will be the dialogue where, of course, differences will have to be stated to a greater extent, points of differences. But at the same time, a dialogue is a possibility to find some rational kernels, the little parts where our relations are getting closer," he said.

"And if the current US administration is ready for such an approach, I have no doubts that our president will respond in kind," Peskov added.

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