Moscow denies reports on Russian taskforce's disembarkation on Spitsbergen
MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has described reports alleging that a Russian military taskforce recently disembarked on Spitsbergen as "massive anti-Russian false stories" and the "apotheosis of unscrupulousness."
"These were truly massive anti-Russian false stories, they appeared recently and alleged the presence of a Russian taskforce and active spying by Russian special services in Norway," Zakharova said at a news briefing on Thursday.
"In my view, this is a kind of apotheosis of unscrupulousness and a backsliding of not only professional ethics but of professional standards of journalism in general," she said.
Zakharova said that she did not rule out that these reports might have been made deliberately in the run-up to events scheduled for the end of October to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of northern Norway by the Red Army.