Andreev said on Monday that while he was summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry in connection with the holding of referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, he was offered to condemn them, as well as to oppose the special operation in Ukraine.
"This dastardly attack on the Russian ambassador is a flagrant violation of the universally recognized rules of diplomatic communication and demonstrates the Polish foreign ministry's disregard for all conceivable norms of professional ethics. We strongly condemn this impudent provocation," Zakharova said in a statement.
The case of ambassador Andreev is not an isolated one, as Western countries are increasingly trying to "poach" Russian diplomats with promises of "personal benefits," the diplomat added, noting that all these attempts are doomed to fail.
"We advise official representatives of other countries to take into account such methods of work that are unacceptable in the diplomatic professional community," she said.
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in February after the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR) appealed for help to defend themselves against Ukrainian forces. President Putin stressed that the goal is to stop an eight-year-long war, waged by Kiev against the people of Donbass, and achieve demilitarization and denazification in Ukraine.