MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) – The West continues its “unprecedented smear campaign” against Russia over the situation in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday.
In an interview to the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya, Ryabkov said Western powers continue to accuse Russia of supplying heavy weaponry to east Ukraine independence supporters despite being unable to provide any evidence of it.
“No evidence has ever been presented,” Ryabkov said, dismissing US claims that the data cannot be provided because of its classified nature.
“An absolutely unprecedented smear campaign against us continues,” he added.
The West has repeatedly accused Russia of supplying independence supporters with weapons.
Last week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest voiced the belief that independence supporters in the east of Ukraine receive arms from Russia, suggesting that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed by a missile supplied from Moscow. In response, Lavrov reiterated that heavy weapons from Russia were not contributing to the conflict.
Moscow has been dismissing accusations of interfering in Ukraine’s affairs saying that Russia is not a party in the inter-Ukrainian conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that before accusing Russia, one has to show real evidence.
