Russia Calls Former U.S. Ambassador 'Incompetent,' Complains Of FBI, CIA Harassment
Source: RFE/RL
WASHINGTON -- Russia's Foreign Ministry has launched a fresh volley in an increasingly ugly war of words with its U.S. counterparts, calling a former U.S. envoy incompetent and complaining that Washington was pressuring Russian diplomats. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is known for her caustic remarks, but her June 28 comments, including allegations of high-level "incompetence," were unusually blunt.
U.S. officials have complained in recent weeks that American diplomats in Moscow and elsewhere have been subjected to harassment and increased surveillance.
The public spat comes with U.S.-Russian relations arguably at their lowest point since the Cold War, with mutual sanctions over Russian actions in Ukraine and both Moscow, frequently frosty rhetoric at the highest levels, and NATO planning an increased military presence near Russian borders. The Washington Post reported on June 27 that Secretary of State John Kerry had raised the issue of diplomats' treatment with President Vladimir Putin when he visited Moscow in March.
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One U.S. official recently told RFE/RL that diplomats and their families have been pulled over by traffic police with unusual frequency over the past month, and shadowed by Russian security agents to an unusual degree. "We have raised and we will continue to raise at the highest level any incidents inconsistent with protections guaranteed by international law, and we will respond appropriately in accordance with U.S. and international law," U.S. State Department spokesman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters on June 27.
Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-calls-mcfaul-incompetent/27826757.html
It's Kafka + Orwell + Scientology. The Kremlin has been accused of harassing Americans--so of course Zakharova is going to accuse everyone else of harassment, and throw in a few insults along with it. SOP for a sociopathic fascist gov
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