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Poklonskaya: my taking office as ambassador to Cape Verde canceled for personal reasons

The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed this information

SIMFEROPOL, January 19. /TASS/. Natalya Poklonskaya, previously appointed as Russia’s ambassador to Cape Verde, told TASS on Wednesday that her plans for taking office had been canceled for personal reasons.

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"My plans have changed," Poklonskaya told TASS, when asked about her departure for Cape Verde. "You are asking why I have not taken office. My personal circumstances have changed. I’ve always said and I will say once more: I wish to be useful to my country. I am prepared to take any post where I will be useful to the state."

Poklonskaya commented on rumors in anonymous Telegram channels to the effect that with the appointment to a diplomatic post she had obtained some privileges.

"In response to claims by some bloggers (who position themselves as investigators of corruption scandals) I have been groundlessly using the ambassador’s status and privileges, such as a salary, bodyguard protection and office car without performing my duties, I can say that all these worries are in vain. I do not enjoy any such privileges. The mentioned benefits are effective only after properly taking office."

The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Poklonskaya’s departure to Cape Verde will not take place due to personal reasons.

Also, Poklonskaya confirmed that the police had received false warnings of preparations for an attempt on her life.

"The Russian Interior Ministry’s Crimean office did receive false warnings of this sort. My name and my whereabouts were mentioned," Poklonskaya told TASS on Wednesday. "The sender of such messages warned that I may be blown up, a terrorist act may be committed and my home set on fire and so on and so forth. The real reason is the sender is not in his right mind."

Poklonskaya stressed that such messages were not connected with Ukraine in any way and that the sender was not a Ukrainian citizen.

In the middle of December posts on social networks said that a Ukrainian citizen had sneaked into Poklonskaya’s home in Crimea. According to reports, the man, detained by the police on the premises, was identified as Vladimir Vorona, 58, a Ukrainian citizen. The man brought a bunch of flowers. Later, he was expelled from Russia to Ukraine.

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