Russia has lashed out at the United States over remarks by White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who accused Moscow of using multiple methods of "subversion and disinformation and propaganda" to destabilize other countries.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman made the comments on December 13, a day after McMaster said Russia and China were "undermining the international order and stability" and "ignoring the sovereign rights of their neighbors and the rule of law."
McMaster said that Russia has pioneered "new generation warfare" that uses "subversion and disinformation and propaganda using cyber tools, operating across multiple domains, that attempt to divide our communities within our nations and pit them against each other, and try to create crises of confidence."
McMaster alluded to the assessment by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia conducted a concerted campaign of interference in the U.S. presidential election in 2016. Putin and other Russian officials deny that Moscow meddled in the election, despite what U.S. officials say is ample evidence.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that McMaster's remarks were "extremely and absolutely wrong" and that Russia "does not indulge in sophisticated subversion in the United States."
McMaster's speech in Washington came as President Donald Trump is set to unveil his national security strategy on December 18.
The strategy will identify other threats to the United States and its interests, including China's "economic aggression" and "rogue regimes" like Iran and North Korea, McMaster said.
