Russian Envoy Slams Reports Alleging Espionage in Switzerland as 'Absurd'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The accusations alleging Russia's spying activities on the territory of Switzerland are groundless and seem to be politically motivated, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) Gennady Gatilov said on Sunday, commenting on the relevant media reports.

"There are indeed many employees at the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, which reflects the priority given to cooperation with the United Nations and its specialized agencies by Russia… We consider such accusations absurd and clearly politically motivated," Gatilov said as quoted in a statement released on the official website of the Russian Permanent Mission to the UNOG.

On Sunday, the Swiss Tages-Anzeiger newspaper released an article, in which it claimed that every fourth Russian diplomat in Switzerland was an intelligence agent. The news outlet also stated that Russia's Permanent Mission to the UNOG was traditionally spying most without providing, at the same time, any evidence proving the allegations.

The Russian Embassy in Switzerland has condemned Tages-Anzeiger for the release of the article, which, according to the Russian diplomatic mission, was "characterized by the absence of any facts."

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, stressed that Russia would be ready to comment on the reports as soon as it received facts supporting the claims.