MOSCOW: Russia’s foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador in Moscow on Friday over alleged interference by US tech giants in parliamentary polls due later this month.

Russia has recently ramped up control of its segment of the internet and has been taking legal action against foreign tech companies for not deleting content banned by authorities.

“There is one reason — interference in Russian elections. We hope this is how American diplomats will report it to Washington,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

In a separate statement, the ministry said ambassador John Sullivan had held a meeting with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday.

It added that Sullivan was presented with “irrefutable proof” of US tech giants violating Russian laws in the context of the upcoming elections to the lower house State Duma.

The ministry also said that it conveyed the “categorical inadmissibility of interference in the domestic affairs of our countries”.

Tensions are high between Moscow and Washington over a range of issues, including claims of meddling in US elections and Russia’s human rights record.

In May, Russia formally designated the United States an “unfriendly” state, barring its embassy from employing Russian nationals.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021