The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected allegations from Facebook that Russia's GRU military intelligence service had been using the social media site to run disinformation campaigns, saying it did not understand the basis for such accusations.
Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc, and Alphabet Inc collectively removed hundreds of accounts tied to an alleged Iranian propaganda operation on Tuesday, while Facebook took down a second campaign it said was linked to Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that Facebook's Russia-related allegations made no sense to Moscow and said they looked similar to previous groundless allegations from other sources like Microsoft.
"They are all trying to outdo one another with their statements which all look like carbon copies of one another," said Peskov.
"There is no supporting explanation and we do not understand on what they are based."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.