Russia on Friday accused the U.S. Embassy of having meddled in Russia’s internal affairs when it published a map online showing the route of an unauthorized anti-government protest earlier this month.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had summoned a senior U.S. diplomat over what it said was a post on Twitter and the embassy’s website containing a map drawn up by Russia’s opposition ahead of the Aug. 3 rally in Moscow.
Russian police detained over 1,000 people at the protest, the latest in a series of opposition rallies ahead of a Moscow city election next month that have led to the biggest standoff between the authorities and the opposition in years.
The U.S. Embassy warned U.S. nationals in an English-language statement on its website on Aug. 2 to avoid the protest route, noting that the rally had not been sanctioned by Moscow authorities.
The statement contained a map of the planned route as well as details and information about it in Russian.
“We underlined that we consider the publication of the route … as promoting participation in (the protest) and calling for action, which constitutes interference in the internal affairs of our country,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The complaint came a day after Russia accused German media outlet Deutsche Welle of having also called on Russians to take part in recent anti-government protests.
