MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Russia has proof that the US blackmailed other countries into supporting the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC), Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov told the Russia-24 TV channel on Friday.

"This decision was [made] as a result of enormous pressure on countries, we know the facts how American envoys worked in capitals, worked both in New York and Geneva in order to sway those wavering to support this illegitimate decision," he said.

"One has to admit that not all the countries were ready to counteract such tough pressure for an entire range of reasons, and this is the favorite strategy of the Americans and their allies - to put pressure on weak countries, to put pressure on wavering [countries] thus forcing them to make decisions which deep down they perhaps do not support," the diplomat added.

The UN General Assembly passed the Western resolution to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council during a special session on Ukraine on Thursday. A total of 93 votes were cast in favor of the resolution, with 24 against, while 58 delegations abstained from the vote.