Russia accused the U.S. of stoking mass anti-government protests in neighboring Georgia that were triggered by public anger at Moscow’s influence in the ex-Soviet nation.
The surge in tensions came after at least 240 people were hurt in clashes between police and demonstrators in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, last week. Protesters were angered by pictures of a Russian lawmaker, Sergei Gavrilov, sitting in the speaker’s chair in Georgia’s parliament during a meeting of legislators from Orthodox Christian countries.
