Lavrov: US Accuses Russia of 'All Deadly Sins' Without Any Evidence

PORVOO (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, US House of Representatives approved the establishment of a special committee to counter "covert influence’’ exerted by Russia. The committee is set to hold regular meetings to discuss measures to counter Russian influence, which include in particular "covert broadcasting, media manipulation, disinformation, incitement and offensive counterintelligence."

"We hear many hysterical charges of Russia on all deadly sins. We see how the Congress creates some interagency structures in order to investigate the Russian threat. So far we have not seen or heard any fact, which will in any way confirm what we are accused of," Lavrov said after talks with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini.

Russian-based media outlets broadcasting in Europe and the United States have been facing a barrage of accusations by Western officials about allegedly spreading fake news and attempting to influence public life. In the United States, intelligence agencies have claimed Russia has used its media outlets to swing the outcome of the US November 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump, but have not provided any evidence to back their claims.

Russian officials, including Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, have repeatedly stated that Moscow does not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.