Kremlin dismisses US claims of Russians working for intelligence community

Russia sees no need to comment on US allegations that several people had been working for Russian intelligence until Washington provides “convincing evidence,” the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US has not presented any evidence to support its espionage allegations.

“Until we have heard and seen any convincing evidence and arguments based on something tangible, we do not consider it necessary to comment on these reports,” he told reporters when asked about a statement by US Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Blanche said Tuesday that a number of Russians had been charged in the Southern District of New York for working since 2024 for the country’s intelligence community.

Commenting on Japan’s desire to restore a visa-free regime for its citizens to visit the Kuril Islands, Peskov said Moscow does not expect the reciprocal easing of restrictions given “Tokyo’s unfriendly policy toward Russia.”

“Of course, it was not Russia that advocated curtailing bilateral relations,” Peskov said. “Japan has taken an extremely unfriendly position toward our country and joined all the sanctions. It is on the list of unfriendly countries, so for now, it is hardly possible to hope for any mutual easing.”