By Alexander Kolyandr
MOSCOW--Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday
accused the West of "seeking regime change" in his country by
imposing sanctions against Moscow.
His comment chimed with remarks made by President Vladimir Putin
on Thursday that Russia should protect itself from the "color
revolutions"--a name Moscow gave to the public protests in former
Soviet states, notably Ukraine and Georgia, and Arab countries in
recent years that resulted in government changes.
Russia has stepped up its war of words with the West as tensions
remain at their highest since the end of the Cold War due to the
crisis in Ukraine. Since Moscow annexed the Ukrainian region of
Crimea in March, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed
sanctions against dozens of Russian individuals and companies,
resulting in an almost complete closure of international financial
markets for Russian firms.
Speaking at a meeting of the advisory Foreign and Defence
Council in Moscow, Mr. Lavrov said the sanctions against Russia,
unlike those against Iran or North Korea, were designed to harm the
national economy.
"The public figures in the Western countries say there is need
to impose sanctions against Russia that will destroy the economy
and provoke public protests," he was quoted by state news agencies
as saying.
A series of mass protests erupted in Moscow and some other big
Russian cities in the winter of 2011, but opposition activity has
since petered out, with opinion polls registering mounting support
for Mr. Putin and his policies toward the West and Ukraine.
Mr. Lavrov said that by introducing the sanctions, "the West is
making clear that it doesn't want Russia to change its policy, but
to achieve a change of the regime."
The West has urged Moscow to pull its forces from eastern
Ukraine and stop providing military support to the insurgents.
Moscow has said it has no soldiers in the conflict zone, and those
Russian citizens who are fighting there are merely
"volunteers."
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Friday called Russia's actions
in Ukraine "unacceptable" and called Moscow to respect the
cease-fire agreement signed in September.
Moscow has repeatedly said isn't part of the conflict in eastern
Ukraine, which has already claimed more than 4,300 lives.