Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Spokesman Calls to 'Verify' New York Times Doping Interview

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Andrei Yepikhin / TASS

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for verification of Russian Anti-Doping Agency's acting head Anna Antseliovich's interview to The New York Times, where she admitted an “institutional conspiracy” on doping existed in Russia, the Life online tabloid reported Wednesday.

"Reliability of her words must be verified. Whether it is true, whether the words attributed to Antseliovich were really said, what she meant – [all these things need to be verified] before we make any conclusions,” Life quoted Peskov as saying.

The spokesman added that Moscow has denied any state involvement in the alleged doping scheme. “Moreover, we are waiting for the results of the investigation. You know it is underway,” the said.

Earlier this week The New York Times ran a story with Antseliovich's statement. She said she was “shocked” by the revelations made in the course of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigation, which uncovered years of doping schemes. Antseliovich called it an “institutional conspiracy,” but emphasized that the government’s top officials were not involved in it.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more