Russian FM says 'Russophobia' worse than during Cold War

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday that the West's "Russophobia" is worse than it was during the Cold War and warned that Moscow has "red lines" that should be respected.

"This Russophobia is unprecedented. We never saw this during the Cold War," Lavrov, fresh from a visit to New York on Thursday and Friday, said in an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant's online edition. "Back then there were some rules, some decorum... Now, all decorum has been cast aside." he said.

Lavrov warned: "Russia has its 'red lines'.... Serious politicians in the West understand that these 'red lines' should be respected as they were during the Cold War."

Lavrov denounced what he called "efforts to punish Russia by any means possible," calling sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union "absurd and baseless".

Activists protest against Russia during a rally in front of the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, on Jan.16, 2017. /VCG Photo

Russia was slapped with sanctions in 2014 because of its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and involvement in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, with Kiev and the West accusing Moscow of backing rebels – allegations the Russian authorities deny.

Russia is also mired in a doping scandal which led to the exclusion of its athletes from the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro and the World Athletics Championships in London last year.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has also suspended Russia from next month's Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, the Republic of Korea (ROK). "Clean" Russian athletes will be allowed to take part under the Olympic flag.

"There are a number of indications that apart from real cases of doping among our athletes... there is a totally orchestrated campaign" targeting Russia, Lavrov said.

Source(s): AFP