MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Russian airline Aeroflot has every opportunity to respond to the accusations of smuggling that were made against it, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
"I am not familiar with the charges they are bringing against the Russian company. But I think that the Russian company is able to protect its interests in the appropriate manner," he said.
The Kremlin spokesman also stressed that "the Russian state is always guarding interests of our domestic companies."
Earlier, the US authorities charged 10 Russian nationals with smuggling $50 million worth of mainly stolen iPhones and other Apple products. According to the US Justice Department, "the defendants allegedly participated in the illegal smuggling of electronic devices, particularly Apple products, from the United States to Russia using couriers, many of whom were current and former employees of Aeroflot Airlines." The investigation had led the State Department to revoke 113 visas of current and former employees of Aeroflot suspected of participating in the smuggling scheme, the Justice Department said.