MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Blaming Russia for allegedly inciting mass unrest in Europe did not emerge immediately as European leaders initially placed the blame on the incumbent US administration, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted with surprise when speaking with Vesti reporter Pavel Zarubin.

"What surprised me was that the initial reaction was not anti-Russian at all, it was anti-American if you happened to notice. Claims immediately began to circulate that the events unfolding in Europe resulted from the present American administration’s actions, its support for right-wing parties and movements," Putin said.

"That I found strange and unexpected. I didn’t expect European leaders to launch such attacks against their primary ally, their protector, in the military sense of the term, across the ocean," he added.