Russia hits out at US

Moscow: Russia formally protested to the US embassy in Moscow on Monday over social media posts it said promoted anti-Kremlin demonstrations and accused US tech giants of interfering in its internal affairs. On Saturday, tens of thousands rallied in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister held talks with the US ambassador to register dissatisfaction over the embassy’s messages, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state-run media. During the meeting, she said, Sergei Ryabkov expressed "strong protest" over the US embassy "spreading posts supporting illegal rallies in a number of Russian cities on social networks and on their internet platforms".

The meeting followed accusations by Kremlin spokesman Peskov that the US embassy was interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs after the embassy issued a "demonstration alert" to US citizens in the country.