MOSCOW, 24 January, 2021, (TON): The Russian Foreign Ministry blamed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for interference in opposition rallies in Russia, saying these are the country's domestic affairs.

The U.S. Embassy has shown disregard for diplomatic rules and regulations by actively posting messages on social media in support of unsanctioned protests in Russian cities, the ministry said in a statement.

"We are talking about encouraging violent actions, hypocritically declared as peaceful protests, in which the organizers cynically involved even minors," the statement said.

Attempts by U.S. diplomats to incite radical actions are doomed to failure and will have negative consequences for Moscow-Washington relations, it added.

The ministry made the remarks after activists staged protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a number of Russian cities earlier in the day.

According to the Moscow branch of the Russian Interior Ministry about 4,000 people participated in the rally at Pushkin Square near the Kremlin. Police detained several protestors and warned to immediately suppress the demonstrations.