Alwaght- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced as “absurd" the indictment of 13 Russian nationals by the US Justice Department for plotting to disrupt the 2016 presidential election.
"Thirteen people interfered in the US elections? Thirteen people against billions budgets of special agencies? Against intelligence and counter-espionage, against the newest technologies? Absurd? – Yes,” wrote Zakharova in Facebook post said on Friday after the US special counsel charged over a dozen Russians with running a huge but hidden social media trolling campaign aimed in part at helping Republican Donald Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
She further said that the indictment manifests the “modern American political reality,” adding jokingly that the number 13 had been chosen intentionally due to its negative associations.
The federal indictment, brought Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller, claims the Russian organization was funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy St. Petersburg businessman.
Trump quickly claimed vindication Friday, noting in a tweet that the alleged interference efforts began in 2014 — “long before I announced that I would run for President.”
“The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong — no collusion!” he tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said supporting US President Donald Trump had never been an official Russian policy, even if some Russians did express their support for the new American leader.
"It’s a pity that under Donald Trump, for more than a year of his presidency, our relations have not improved compared to the period of the Democratic administration. Even worsened to a certain extent,” Lavrov further said in an interview with Euronews.
In late 2016, Washington alleged that Russia had influenced the US presidential election in November that year to help now-incumbent Trump get elected, an allegation that Russia strongly denied. Back then, the outgoing administration of President Barack Obama threatened that the US would respond to the alleged Russian meddling “at the time and place" of its choosing.
Back in November last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly rejected as "fantasies" claims that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US presidential election in favor of Trump. The Russian leader also in December renewed Russia's rejection of the same accusations, saying the claims were nothing more than “espionage mania.”
There are currently multiple investigations by US security agencies into the case.
