MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/. Moscow demands that Washington stop extraterritorial application of its national legislation against Russian citizens, Foreign Ministry’s Envoy for Human Rights, Democracy and Supremacy of the Law Konstantin Dolgov has said.

"The American authorities’ practice of extraterritorial application of the US national legislation against Russians is absolutely unacceptable and comes in violation of the international law and the existing regulatory framework of the Russian-American relations," Dolgov said.

Russia will continue efforts to ensure that the US stops using its "illegal methods" and violating the rights and legal interests of Russian citizens, he said, adding that Washington also ignores the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence in regard to Russian citizens.

The diplomat hailed Finland’s decision on Wednesday to release Russian citizen Yury Yefremov who was arrested by the Finnish authorities on the US request. "We welcome this decision of the Finnish authorities as it was adopted on the basis of insufficient evidence provided by the United States which had been pushing for Yefremov's extradition to the US," Dolgov said.

At the same time, Dolgov said Finland holds three other Russians, who were arrested on the requests of the US.

"We are hopeful that the Finnish authorities will reveal the same responsible attitude towards these Russians and will also take a decision not to extradite them to the US," he said.

Yefremov was detained in Finland on December 19 on Washington’s request. According to the lawyer, Yefremov was held after visiting an arms exhibition in the United States in 2011 where he bought an item for a pistol that was seized from him as he was leaving the country.

Dolgov said earlier Moscow considered as inadmissible Yefremov’s possible extradition from Finland to the United States where he could face "American-style justice.".