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Military operation in Ukraine

Ambassador says Washington penned letter to him suggesting he oppose Russian government

Anatoly Antonov added that the Russian embassy has demanded explanations from the US Department of State over the issue

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said he had received a letter calling upon him to make a public statement against the Russian government.

"I have recently received a letter by mail, with a call to denounce my motherland and condemn the Russian president’s actions. And I was recommended to make an enquiry to the office of US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman if I am ready to accept the proposal," he told the Bolshaya Igra (Big Game) show on Russia’s Channel One on Tuesday night.

Antonov added that the Russian embassy has demanded explanations from the US Department of State over the issue.

"I don’t think that the US ambassador or US diplomats in Moscow are receiving any letters of this kind, which in my opinion are provocative," he said. "When I see US media publications calling upon Russian servicemen and diplomats to betray their homeland, I have no words to describe my rejection of such moves."

According to the diplomat, several people were spotted handing out cards with phone numbers outside the Russian embassy and inviting its staffers to "communicate with FBI agents." At the same time, the ambassador said he could not say for sure whether those individuals were indeed special agents or just mere detractors.

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