Russia hits out at U.S. over Navalny rallies

Russia formally protested to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Monday over social media posts it said promoted anti-Kremlin demonstrations and accused U.S. tech giants of interfering in its internal affairs.

On Saturday, tens of thousands rallied in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister held talks with the U.S. Ambassador to register dissatisfaction over the Embassy’s messages, Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

She said Sergei Ryabkov expressed “strong protest” over the U.S. Embassy “spreading posts supporting illegal rallies in a number of Russian cities on social networks and on their Internet platforms”.

Ahead of the rallies, Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor ordered several social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, to delete calls for demonstrations that were posted on their platforms.