Russia has warned the US embassy in Moscow to stop spreading "fake" news about its military operation in Ukraine. The TASS news agency reported on Tuesday that Moscow has threatened to expel US diplomats if they do not adhere to Russian law and are found to be engaged in what Moscow called "subversive activities".

Russia sent out a harsh message to Lynne Tracy, the new US ambassador to Moscow who arrived last month, according to TASS. Citing a senior Russian foreign ministry source, the agency reported that Tracy had been told to strictly adhere to Russian law when making any statements about Russia's armed forces in Ukraine.

A US State Department spokesperson further confirmed the development and that the US embassy had received a diplomatic note from the Russian foreign ministry about the same. However, it refused to comment further on the matter saying that the department's general policy was not to comment on diplomatic correspondence.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-claims-moscows-forces-progressing-with-success-in-east-ukraine-559649">Russia claims Moscow's forces 'progressing with success' in east Ukraine</a>

TASS said the official note was delivered on Tuesday and accuses US diplomats of making "inappropriate" statements about the Russian leadership.

"Discrediting" the Russian armed forces is a crime punishable by up to five years in jail in the country. A charge of knowingly distributing "false information" about the military carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

February 24 will mark the first anniversary of President Vladimir Putin's decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. He terms the invasion a "special military operation".

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Putin of an unprovoked colonial-style war of aggression. While Putin has maintained that the operation is designed to protect Russia's own security from NATO's eastern enlargement, the West has largely rejected the assertion.

When Tracy had visited the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow to present her diplomatic credentials last month, she was heckled by a crowd of people chanting anti-US slogans.&nbsp;

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had reportedly told her at the time that he expected her to follow the principle of not interfering in Russia's internal affairs.

The US Embassy said at the time - "Ambassador Tracy is focused on maintaining dialogue between our capitals at a time of unprecedented tension, protecting the interests of U.S. citizens detained in Russia, and supporting ties between the American and Russian peoples."

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Russia has warned the US embassy in Moscow to stop spreading "fake" news about its military operation in Ukraine. The TASS news agency reported on Tuesday that Moscow has threatened to expel US diplomats if they do not adhere to Russian law and are found to be engaged in what Moscow called "subversive activities".

Russia has warned the US embassy in Moscow to stop spreading "fake" news about its military operation in Ukraine. The TASS news agency reported on Tuesday that Moscow has threatened to expel US diplomats if they do not adhere to Russian law and are found to be engaged in what Moscow called "subversive activities". Russia sent out a harsh message to Lynne Tracy, the new US ambassador to Moscow who arrived last month, according to TASS. Citing a senior Russian foreign ministry source, the agency reported that Tracy had been told to strictly adhere to Russian law when making any statements about Russia's armed forces in Ukraine. A US State Department spokesperson further confirmed the development and that the US embassy had received a diplomatic note from the Russian foreign ministry about the same. However, it refused to comment further on the matter saying that the department's general policy was not to comment on diplomatic correspondence. Also Read | Russia claims Moscow's forces 'progressing with success' in east Ukraine TASS said the official note was delivered on Tuesday and accuses US diplomats of making "inappropriate" statements about the Russian leadership. "Discrediting" the Russian armed forces is a crime punishable by up to five years in jail in the country. A charge of knowingly distributing "false information" about the military carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. February 24 will mark the first anniversary of President Vladimir Putin's decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. He terms the invasion a "special military operation". Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Putin of an unprovoked colonial-style war of aggression. While Putin has maintained that the operation is designed to protect Russia's own security from NATO's eastern enlargement, the West has largely rejected the assertion. When Tracy had visited the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow to present her diplomatic credentials last month, she was heckled by a crowd of people chanting anti-US slogans. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had reportedly told her at the time that he expected her to follow the principle of not interfering in Russia's internal affairs. The US Embassy said at the time - "Ambassador Tracy is focused on maintaining dialogue between our capitals at a time of unprecedented tension, protecting the interests of U.S. citizens detained in Russia, and supporting ties between the American and Russian peoples." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia warns US embassy in Moscow not to spread 'fake news' about Ukraine operation

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.

Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary.

A US State Department official denounced the move as a &quot;regrettable and uncalled for act,&quot; adding that Washington was now weighing a potential response.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The evictions of US diplomatic staff are in response to that</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The evictions of US diplomatic staff are in response to that" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September 1 to 455 people -- the same number Moscow has in the US.

&quot;More than a thousand people -- diplomats and technical personnel -- were working and are still working&quot; at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television.&nbsp;

&quot;755 people must stop their activities in Russia.&quot;

The US State Department would not confirm the number of US officials serving at the mission.

Putin added that an upturn in Russia&#39;s relations with Washington could not be expected &quot;any time soon.&quot;

&quot;We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better,&quot; he said.

&quot;But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it&#39;s not for any time soon.&quot;

Raise the stakes? 
Putin warned that Russia could further ratchet up the pressure, but he hoped this would not be needed.

Russia still &quot;has things to say and is able to further restrict areas of common activities, which may be sensitive for the American side,&quot; he said.

If the damage inflicted by &quot;attempts to pressure Russia&quot; rises further, &quot;we are able to look at other forms of retaliation. But I hope we won&#39;t have to do it,&quot; he said.

&quot;For the time being, I am against&quot; any additional riposte, Putin said.

On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill.

The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign -- a position that his critics said was inexplicable.

Russia also froze two US embassy compounds -- a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city -- from August 1.

&quot;I thought that we should show that we too are not going to stand by without a response&quot; after &quot;the baseless measures taken by the American side,&quot; Putin said.

In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage.

At the time, the Kremlin said it would put any retaliation on hold until after Trump took office.

Hacking &#39;cooperation&#39; 
High on the list of US grievances is the allegation that Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party computers at the peak of the troubled 2016 election campaign.

Putin on Sunday said Russia had proposed &quot;several times establishing cooperation with the American side&quot; on cyber-security.

&quot;But instead of starting to work constructively, all we hear are baseless accusations about interference in the internal affairs of the United States,&quot; he complained.

Putin and Trump, meeting on the sidelines of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, talked about setting up what Trump called an &quot;impenetrable cyber security unit&quot; to prevent hacking in future elections.

Senior members of Trump&#39;s Republican Party poured scorn on the concept.

Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the notion was &quot;not the dumbest idea I&#39;ve ever heard, but it&#39;s pretty close.&quot;

Former presidential candidate John McCain said sarcastically he was &quot;sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he&#39;s doing the hacking.&quot;

'755 people must stop their activities in Russia,' Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin. Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary. A US State Department official denounced the move as a "regrettable and uncalled for act," adding that Washington was now weighing a potential response. On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The evictions of US diplomatic staff are in response to that × On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September 1 to 455 people -- the same number Moscow has in the US. "More than a thousand people -- diplomats and technical personnel -- were working and are still working" at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television. "755 people must stop their activities in Russia." The US State Department would not confirm the number of US officials serving at the mission. Putin added that an upturn in Russia's relations with Washington could not be expected "any time soon." "We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better," he said. "But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it's not for any time soon." Raise the stakes? Putin warned that Russia could further ratchet up the pressure, but he hoped this would not be needed. Russia still "has things to say and is able to further restrict areas of common activities, which may be sensitive for the American side," he said. If the damage inflicted by "attempts to pressure Russia" rises further, "we are able to look at other forms of retaliation. But I hope we won't have to do it," he said. "For the time being, I am against" any additional riposte, Putin said. On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill. The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign -- a position that his critics said was inexplicable. Russia also froze two US embassy compounds -- a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city -- from August 1. "I thought that we should show that we too are not going to stand by without a response" after "the baseless measures taken by the American side," Putin said. In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage. At the time, the Kremlin said it would put any retaliation on hold until after Trump took office. Hacking 'cooperation' High on the list of US grievances is the allegation that Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party computers at the peak of the troubled 2016 election campaign. Putin on Sunday said Russia had proposed "several times establishing cooperation with the American side" on cyber-security. "But instead of starting to work constructively, all we hear are baseless accusations about interference in the internal affairs of the United States," he complained. Putin and Trump, meeting on the sidelines of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, talked about setting up what Trump called an "impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections. Senior members of Trump's Republican Party poured scorn on the concept. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the notion was "not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close." Former presidential candidate John McCain said sarcastically he was "sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking."

Putin orders US to cut diplomatic staff by 755

russia-us-diplomats

Russia Us Diplomats, News on Russia Us Diplomats, stories on Russia Us Diplomats, articles on Russia Us Diplomats, Russia Us Diplomats stories at Wion, Russia Us Diplomats news, Russia Us Diplomats latest news

russia us-diplomats

Russia warns US embassy in Moscow not to spread 'fake news' about Ukraine operation

Putin orders US to cut diplomatic staff by 755