A Russian reader has sued Elle magazine for allegedly promoting emigration to the "hostile" United States in an article.
Bilateral relations between the two countries have been in a diplomatic nosedive over tit-for-tat measures following U.S. intelligence accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. Nearly two-thirds of Russians polled by the independent Levada Center in January named the U.S. as their biggest enemy.
In a Moscow court filing provided to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday, the plaintiff argued that Elle's 2014 test asking "Which Country Suits You Best?" implied that the answer was the U.S.
"[This] leads to a hidden incitement toward the need to leave Russia and move to a hostile America," reads the court filing cited by RIA.
"This text is an ordered provocation to incite hatred among Russian citizens […] to push for relocation to other countries in order to reduce Russia's population and destabilize the situation in the country," it continues.
The court spokesman told the RBC business outlet that it has not received the geopolitically disgruntled reader's court filing.
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