US EMBASSY IN MOSCOW WARNED NOT TO SPREAD ‘FAKE NEWS’ ABOUT UKRAINE

Wed 08 February 2023:

The US embassy in Moscow has received a warning from Russia to stop disseminating “fake” news regarding its military operation in Ukraine.

According to TASS, Moscow has threatened to expel US diplomats if they violate Russian law and are discovered to be involved in what Moscow refers to as “subversive activities.”

According to TASS, Lynne Tracy, the new US ambassador to Moscow who took office last month, received a stern message from Russia. The agency claimed that Tracy had been instructed to scrupulously abide by Russian laws when making any declarations concerning Russia’s armed forces in Ukraine. TASS cited a top source in the Russian foreign ministry for this information.

A US State Department spokesperson further confirmed the development and that the US embassy had received a diplomatic note from the Russian foreign ministry about the same. However, it refused to comment further on the matter saying that the department’s general policy was not to comment on diplomatic correspondence.

TASS said the official note was delivered on Tuesday and accuses US diplomats of making “inappropriate” statements about the Russian leadership.

“Discrediting” the Russian armed forces is a crime punishable by up to five years in jail in the country. A charge of knowingly distributing “false information” about the military carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

February 24 will mark the first anniversary of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. He terms the invasion a “special military operation”.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Putin of an unprovoked colonial-style war of aggression. While Putin has maintained that the operation is designed to protect Russia’s own security from NATO’s eastern enlargement, the West has largely rejected the assertion.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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