Moscow, Russia – The Kremlin on Friday blasted as “unacceptable” French President Emmanuel Macron’s claims that Russia was trying to undermine the Paris Olympics through a disinformation campaign.
Macron had said Thursday that Moscow was trying to promote the narrative that France was unable to host the Games and that the event would be a risk.
“They are completely unsubstantiated accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
He said it was “absolutely unacceptable behavior” and characteristic of Western accusations that are “never backed up by adequate evidence.”
The West has long accused Russia of waging disinformation campaigns and trying to sow discord, particularly in the online media space.
Paris has also in recent months accused Russia of trying to manipulate public opinion over the Ukraine conflict by flooding social media and pro-Kremlin media outlets with narratives trying to justify its offensive.