The three countries - all of them members of NATO and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, have traditionally led the charge among Western nations in hostility toward Moscow, particularly after the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis into a full-blown NATO-Russia proxy conflict in early 2022.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the top diplomats of the United States, Britain, and Canada on Tuesday in connection with what Moscow said was the three countries' "gross interference in Russia's internal affairs and activities that do not correspond to" ambassadors' diplomatic status, Sputnik reported.
The ministry did not elaborate on the reasons for the summons.
However, a day earlier, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed the three countries' envoys for interfering in Russia's internal affairs over comments made in connection with the hefty prison sentence handed down by a Moscow court to opposition journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza for "high treason" and "discrediting" the Russian military by spreading false information about the conflict in Ukraine.
Kara-Murza, 41, received a 25-year prison sentence, was issued a 400,000 ruble fine, and barred from journalistic activities for seven years on Monday after being found guilty of high treason, collaborating with an undesirable organization, and spreading fake news about the Russian military.
The ambassadors of the US, Britain, and Canada attended Monday's court hearing, condemning the verdict and demanding Kara-Murza's immediate release.
The case against the liberal journalist, who is a dual citizen of Russia and the UK, was initiated after Kara-Murza spoke to lawmakers in Arizona's House of Representatives in March 2022.
The opposition figure is known in Russia for his ties with US Russia hawks, including the late Arizona Senator John McCain. He has repeatedly called for "regime change" in Russia.
MNA/PR
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