In his annual press conference, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Obama administration and U.S. intelligence agencies of desperately trying to recruit Russian informants and of even resorting to cross-dressing U.S. agents to disguise them.
During the two-hour presentation Tuesday, which was packed with journalists, the minister claimed U.S. diplomats have stepped up their espionage efforts in Russia during President Obama’s second term.
“In addition to spying, U.S. Embassy diplomats have been repeatedly seen taking part in the opposition rallies, and illegal protests, including times when they donned wigs and posed as women while trying to gain access to the governmental buildings,” Lavrov said.
He pointed out that “unfriendly recruitment activity” towards Russian diplomats has been escalating in the last few years. .
“There was the famous episode when a disguised diplomat wearing a wig and false eyebrows penetrated the building of the US embassy, refusing to present identification to the security officer and hitting the officer,” Lavrov noted. He also mentioned other episodes of U.S. diplomats cross-dressing in alleged espionage effort.
“You can draw the conclusions yourself,” Lavrov told reporters..
On Monday, Lavrov’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova also talked about what she called a spy-war waged by the U.S. intelligence agencies against Russia. She alleged that “agents of American security services” used a vital medicine as leverage to recruit a member of the Russian embassy staff in 2015. The rare medicine was intended for Yevgeniy Primakov, an ex prime minister and diplomat. It was delivered to him but later than expected, which, according to Zakharova, caused his death in 2015.
The Kremlin also denied that its intelligence services gathered “compromising information” on Donald Trump, including the “golden showers” accusations.