Moscow Denies Contacting Assange's Associates Over Alleged Escape Plan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow has not held any talks either with the associates of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or the staff of the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, where he has been residing for years, regarding Assange's reportedly prepared escape from the United Kingdom, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"The article contains a whole series of similar anti-Russia innuendos. On our part, we stress that Russian diplomats have not contacted either the staff of the Ecuadoran Embassy in London or Mr. Assange's associates in order to assist in his leaving the territory of the United Kingdom," the ministry said in a statement.

READ MORE: Assange Reveals Biggest Threat to Humanity in Latest Released Recording

The ministry added that regular meetings between Russian and Ecuadoran diplomats in London were nothing more than a regular practice of diplomatic relations.

On Friday, The Guardian newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Russia had allegedly secretly contacted Assange's associates in London in order to help him escape from the embassy. According to the newspaper, Russia was considered as one of the options for his final destination.

Assange has been residing in the Ecuadorian Embassy since June 2012 after the United Kingdom granted his extradition to Sweden, where he was accused of sexual offenses. While the Swedish police dropped the charges in 2017, Assange is still wary of being extradited to the United States, where he is wanted for leaking classified documents of the US State Department.