Moscow vows retaliation after Russian film crew is held for questioning at Washington airport

Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has vowed to retaliate following an incident involving a Russian film crew at an airport in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement released on Wednesday that U.S. border officials detained a film crew from the tabloid Izvestia and refused to admit a cameraman in the group, allegedly stating that his visa had been canceled for “administrative reasons.” Zakharova also said that Russian embassy staff were denied access to the reporters while they were questioned for several hours at the airport.

“Such actions fully align with the current administration’s declared global campaign against the Russian media and Russian journalists, which directly contradicts not only the United States’ international obligations but also the provisions of its own Constitution,” Zakharova claimed.

The Izvestia crew came to the United States to cover the upcoming presidential election.