MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed accusations that Moscow is provoking mass protests across major European cities, describing the allegations as a “clear overkill” and accusing European leaders of shifting blame for domestic unrest.
Speaking in an interview with Russian state broadcaster VGTRK published Sunday, Putin said he was surprised that European officials initially blamed the United States rather than Russia for the wave of demonstrations.
“Claims immediately began to be thrown out that the events taking place in Europe are the result of the activities of the current American administration and its support for right-wing parties and movements,” Putin said.
He described the initial criticism of Washington as “strange and completely unexpected,” saying he had not anticipated European leaders turning against their principal military ally.
“But they quickly came to their senses and switched to their traditional accusations against the Russian Federation,” he added.
Putin said allegations that Russia was orchestrating mass demonstrations in European cities were exaggerated and lacked credibility.
“My first reaction when I saw this was surprise, because to say that we are provoking mass protests in major European cities is a clear overkill, which, in my opinion, is obvious to ordinary citizens of European countries,” he said.
The Russian president accused European leaders of refusing to examine the underlying causes of public discontent and instead seeking external parties to blame.
He said the accusations demonstrated “the weakness and inability of some leaders in European countries to take responsibility for what is happening.”
“This is bad. Why? Because it means they do not analyze the events, do not look for the causes of what is happening, but simply shift the blame onto someone, first the US, now Russia,” Putin said.
His comments come amid weeks of student-led demonstrations in France and broader unrest in several European countries.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking at an OECD-hosted conference on October 21, accused protesters of drawing on “hostile narratives” originating from Russia, China, Iran and the MAGA movement in the United States.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected allegations of Russian involvement in the demonstrations.
On October 19, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations as “absurd,” saying they were not taken seriously.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has attributed the unrest to mass migration.
Source: Saudi Gazette