❗ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova on a new set of US sanctions

☝️ Regrettably, the #US authorities have decided to celebrate Human Rights Day, which is marked on December 10, by adopting new sanctions against Russian individuals and entities.

As usual, the reasons for the latest set of restrictions are far-fetched and unsubstantiated. We regard this as nothing more than a clumsy publicity stunt designed to sell the image of Russians as “human rights violators” to the international community.

Those who compiled the new sanctions list do have plenty of imagination. They have added to the sanctions list an entire football club that is well known in #Russia and beyond. This reminded me of a time when sanctions were adopted against the Chaika swimming pool, possibly because it is located near the Krymsky (Crimean) Bridge in #Moscow. We will ask our American colleagues which place in Russia’s geography prompted them to turn their wrath on a football club, when we can.

💬 #Lavrov: #Kiev should discuss issues directly with #Donbass, as stipulated in the Minsk Package of Measures, rather than try to politicise the situation by appealing to #Moscow, #Berlin & #Paris. We don't see any evidence of that so far. https://is.gd/oKwamc

🔴 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir #Putin will address the Federal Assembly today, on April 21, at 🕛 12 PM #Moscow time.

#PutinAddress2021