PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) – Montenegro’s special prosecutor has accused Russia and its secret service operatives of plotting an election-day coup attempt that included plans to kill the small Balkan country’s former prime minister.
Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said an investigation into the alleged plot last October to overthrow Montenegro’s government and prevent it from joining NATO has shown “that Russian state bodies were involved at a certain level.”
Speaking in a conference call on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied the claim as “absurd” and “irresponsible.”
“There can’t be even talk about any sort of Russian officials’ interference into Montenegro’s internal affairs,” Peskov said. “Russia hasn’t interfered and isn’t going to interfere into domestic affairs of other countries, and in particular Montenegro with which we have very good relations.”
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also denied what he described as “unfounded accusations,” adding that they “haven’t been backed by a single fact.”