MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry has delivered a demarche to Minister Counsellor of the UK embassy to Moscow Tom Dodd over British diplomatic missions spreading propaganda in Russia during Russia’s presidential election.
"In the course of the demarche on March 19, the Russian Foreign Ministry drew the attention of Minister Counsellor of the UK embassy to Moscow Tom Dodd to the unacceptable propaganda publications by British diplomatic missions in our country during the election for Russian president, which were presented in a poster style and geared toward disrupting the electoral process in Russia’s new territories. We stressed the absolute inadmissibility of such activities, which are seen as interference in Russia’s domestic affairs and a hostile attempt at exerting pressure on the independent electoral system in our country and influencing the election results," the ministry said.
The ministry told the diplomat that such actions constitute a flagrant violation of "the fundamental principles of diplomatic communication committed to paper in the 1961 Convention on Diplomatic Relations and run counter to the status of the UK diplomatic mission in Russia."
"It was especially stressed that, despite the West’s aggressive attempts to discredit the presidential election in Russia, its outcome vividly demonstrated the unprecedented union of the Russian people who support the incumbent head of state and his policy. It was recommended that the embassy should better focus on the situation in the United Kingdom and the emerging crisis of power there," the ministry added.