Moscow decries US silence after detaining Russian journalists set to cover presidential election

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova has condemned the detention at the airport of Russian journalists visiting the United States for covering presidential elections.

She lamented the US representatives for not notifying the Russian embassy in Washington about the detention, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to her, the visa of the operator of the Russian news outlet "Izvestia" was revoked for "administrative reasons."

"They [the journalists] were not going there incognito; they went there in full accordance with the issued documents. They stated their purpose—to work as journalists covering the elections, completed all procedures. They obtained visas, received permission, gathered all necessary documents, and headed to the US," she said.

Zakharova stressed that the journalists were received at the airport, detained, and interrogated for several hours. “Subsequently, the group’s operator was denied entry. His visa was revoked, and the reasons cited were administrative. What this means is unclear. That’s it, administrative," the diplomat said.

"Moreover, while all this arbitrary action was taking place, the American administration did not notify Russian diplomats or the Russian embassy in Washington about the detention of the citizens of the Russian Federation. Accordingly, our colleagues were simply not informed; they could not provide assistance, as they had no physical means to do so, because they were not aware of it," she added. 

By Khagan Isayev