Russia summons US ambassador over election interference

Russia’s foreign ministry says it has summoned the United States ambassador to the country over alleged election interference ahead of parliamentary polls later this month.

The foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, that the Russian government has undeniable proof that tech giants, based in the US, violated Russian laws ahead of the coming election to the lower house State Duma, the It did not specify what companies and violations it referred to.

Russia has recently ramped up control of its segment of the internet and has been taking legal action against foreign tech companies for not deleting content banned by authorities.

There was no immediate comment by the US embassy in Russia and the State Department.
According to the ministry, ambassador John Sullivan held a meeting with Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister.

“In this regard it was stated that interference in the internal affairs of our country was absolutely unacceptable.”

Navalny and his allies promote a tactical voting plan, which requires followers to support candidates who are judged to have the best chance of defeating the ruling United Russia party in local election campaigns.

Russia formally designated the US an unfriendly state, barring its embassy from employing Russian nationals.

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Kamila/Al-Jazeera