Russia says U.S. spy allegations baseless
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Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the alleged reports of Russian spies in the United States were groundless.
"We believe such actions are ungrounded and have unseemly goals. We do not understand the reasons why the U.S. Department of Justice has made a public statement in the spirit of the Cold War," said ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko.
"In any case, it is regrettable that all these things are happening on the background of the 'reset' in Russian-U.S. relations announced by the U.S. administration," said Nesterenko as quoted by news agencies.
Earlier Tuesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Jerusalem that his country awaits explanations from the U.S. side on the detention of alleged Russian spies. The Russian top diplomat meanwhile said the time of the reports "was selected with a special grace."
An official from the ministry said the same day that information concerning the spy scandal was contradictory.
"Messages are being studied, which are controversial and require further clarification," said the official.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has just concluded his tour to the United States, during which he and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama vowed to reset and broaden bilateral ties.
U.S. Justice Department said Monday authorities have arrested 10 suspects on charges of spying for Russia. Court documents show they tried to penetrate decision-making circles of the U.S. government.
The suspects were all members of a Russian intelligence program that operates inside the United States, and they all were arrested on Sunday.
According to a Justice Department statement, they were allegedly carrying out long-term, "deep-cover" assignments in the United States on behalf of the Russian Federation. One suspect remains at large.
