A man has broken into the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and claimed that a “universal conspiracy” motivated him, the RBC news website reported Monday, citing police sources.
It wasn’t immediately clear what “universal conspiracy” the unnamed Russian national was referring to. RBC reported that the man told police he climbed over the Embassy’s fence in search of Christians who could give him money.
According to police, the man “acted inappropriately” while being detained and has been sent for a psychiatric evaluation.
RBC cited its sources as saying that the detainee is Andrei Maznev, 34, from the Naro-Fominsk district of the Moscow region. The Interior Ministry denied this in a statement to RBC.
Russia has been accused of spreading and amplifying conspiracy theories online, particularly related to U.S. presidential elections, in an effort to advance its interests abroad.
Online conspiracy communities are also on the rise within Russia, including those imported from the U.S. such as QAnon.
However, coronavirus-related conspiracies are now stalling Russia’s efforts to vaccinate its population against Covid-19, with polls showing most Russians remaining reluctant to get vaccinated.
The break-in comes amid deteriorating relations between Russia and the U.S. over a slew of disagreements and days before presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden will hold their first summit in Geneva.
