Moscow on Tuesday blasted the US over the arrest of an alleged Russian spy, condemning the move as a "provocation" that would further damage already tattered ties.
"The US has decided to launch the latest stage of its anti-Russian campaign," Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement, adding that US authorities had not provided any evidence to back up their claims that the detained man, Evgeny Buryakov, is a spy.