The strongly worded annual report published on Wednesday said civil liberties "continued to be under siege, reflecting an erosion of the government's accountability to its citizens."
The report also highlighted excessive use of force by Russia in the August conflict with Georgia, which led to civilian casualties, and the country's failure to solve the 2006 murder of investigative journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya.
"We have problems in this sphere, but we talk honestly about them and publish annual reports on the state of things," Sergei Lavrov said. "I believe other countries should apply the same approach."
Moscow slammed last year's report, accusing the United States of double standards.
Relations between Moscow and Washington, already strained over NATO's expansion closer to Russian borders and U.S. plans to open missile bases in Central Europe, deteriorated further after the five-day war with Georgia over its breakaway region, which Moscow later recognized as an independent state.
The two countries are expected to move to improve ties under Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. The presidents are due to meet in April.
Lavrov said the U.S. State Department was known to issue reports on human rights in a number of countries in which "it traditionally expresses some portion of criticism, including toward the Russian Federation."
He said Russia was ready to discuss any concerns raised by its partners. "The important thing is the discussion should be based on facts, on their unbiased perception, and ... political motives should not replace legal procedures."
