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Diplomat urges West to focus on their problems instead of preaching democracy to Russia

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that "our Western partners, who are so worried about democracy in Russia, [should] concentrate on the settlement of their own problems"

MOSCOW, January 28./TASS/. The Western countries censuring Russia for unauthorized demonstrations in support of blogger Alexey Navalny should think about keeping democracy alive at home, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday.

"We paid attention to orchestrated and issued practically simultaneously, as if carbon copied, statements from Western politicians about the situation with illegal rallies held in our country, as well as about some other domestic issues," the diplomat said.

"We offer our Western partners, who are so worried about democracy in Russia, to concentrate on the settlement of their own problems, - since you have a heap of them," she said. "Take care of your own nationals and domestic democracy," Zakharova stressed.

It is strange to hear such statements from the countries where police do not hesitate to use riot control weapons to disperse protests. "These are by no means just batons, but also tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets used against civilians who have taken to the streets to express their democratic protest, be it a rally of ‘yellow vests’, a march on the Capitol, not to mention numerous clashes when local police disperse members of civil society for demonstrating against coronavirus restrictions" practically in all European countries," the diplomat added.

"Dispersal of illegal demonstrations seems to be regarded as brutal only east of the European Union," she remarked.

Unauthorized protest rallies in support of arrested opposition figure Alexey Navalny were held in Moscow and other major cities across Russia on January 23. National law enforcement agencies warned about liability for participation in such rallies. According to a TASS medical source, 42 law enforcement officers sustained injuries of different severity, while some protesters were also injured.