Fake News! Russia's UK Embassy Slams "Montenegro Coup" Report as 'Pure Innuendo'

The Russian Embassy in London refuted The Telegraph newspaper’s report about Russia allegedly masterminding a 2016 Montenegro coup attempt, labelling it "pure innuendo."

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, The Telegraph, one of the leading UK newspapers, published citing "senior Whitehall sources" an article, which accused Moscow of plotting to overthrow Montenegro's government by murdering then pro-Western Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on October 16, 2016 in order to sabotage the country's intention to join NATO.

. @Telegraph: recycling long-discarded news to stoke tensions with Russia. As usual, no evidence, pure innuendo. What next Sunday? pic.twitter.com/kc3Xgh7Jib

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) 19 февраля 2017 г.

On October 16, Montenegro’s parliamentary election day, 20 people were detained for planning to conduct attacks targeted both at civilians and senior politicians and to seize the parliament's building. Of those detained, 14 were later arrested.

In November, a Montenegrin prosecutor was quoted by local media as alleging that "nationalists from Russia" were behind the coup. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted the possibility of Russia's involvement in the coup attempt.

In December 2016, Montenegro put two Russian nationals — Vladimir Popov and Eduard Shirokov — and several Serbian nationals on Interpol’s wanted list on suspicion of plotting the coup. The special prosecutor's office said it suspected Shirokov of planning the assassination of Djukanovic. According to media reports, the majority of the detainees have admitted their guilt in planning the coup.