Russia’s Embassy in the United States has blasted public remarks by U.S. officials over the disqualification of opposition leader Alexei Navalny from the 2018 presidential vote.
Two weeks ago, Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of election meddling after a State Department spokesperson expressed concern over Navalny’s exclusion due to a criminal conviction.
The Russian embassy said that allegations about Navalny’s exclusion from the election for political reasons are "absolutely groundless and politicized” in a statement published Tuesday.
“In this regard, we wish to calm the ‘hot heads’ in America: demands to allow someone’s participation in the Russian elections [...] are unacceptable and are deemed as direct interference in our country’s internal affairs,” the Russian Embassy said.
“Suspicions of the upcoming elections being undemocratic are invalid,” it added.
