The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain and Canada «in connection with gross interference in the internal affairs of Russia and activities that do not correspond to diplomatic status.» This is reported by TASS with reference to the ministry.
April 17, the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain and Canada called for the release of politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was sentenced to 25 years in a strict regime colony. He was found guilty of spreading «fakes» about the armed forces, participating in the activities of an «undesirable» organization and treason.
After the announcement of the court decision, British Ambassador Deborah Bronner said that she was shocked by what had happened and that this sentence was «for courageous protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Canadian and US ambassadors Alison Leclerc and Lynn Tracy also called for the release of Kara-Murza. According to Leclerc, «free-thinking people in this country and around the world recognize Vladimir Kara-Murza as a man of honor and conscience, a resolute defender of civil and political rights and an ally of the people in their struggle for a free and democratic Russia.»
Shortly thereafter, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the diplomats who supported Kara-Murza. During a press conference, she said that she considers the incident «interference in the internal affairs of Russia.» «Any actions of the United States, Britain and Canada, other» unfriendly countries «that have joined the frenzied Russophobia of the Anglo-Saxons, aimed at inciting discord and enmity in our society, will be suppressed in the most decisive way, and the diplomats involved in this subversive work will be expelled from Russia,» — said Zakharova.