The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry reacted after an article in the Guardian which said that Russian diplomats in Macedonia were involved in activities meant to influence the political situation in Macedonia. The report was based on a document allegedly leaked from the Macedonian Intelligence Agency, which outlined the way in which Russian intelligence was organized in Macedonia, coordinating with the Russian intelligence in Bulgaria.
"We believe that the Guardian report is nothing more than a clumsy attempt to deflect responsibility from the deep political crisis in Macedonia. These unfounded allegations aimed at Moscow are coming from organizations largely funded by American state structures and the George Soros foundation", the Russian Foreign Ministry responded. In the past several years, Russia has accused the United States of influencing Macedonian politics, through the wiretapping affair and by supporting the SDSM party
According to the Guardian, whose journalists worked with Macedonian journalists through a George Soros funded network for investigative journalism, Russia was involved in a decade long propaganda campaign in Macedonia meant to increase its influence and to reduce the influence of Western countries. The document also outlined efforts from Serbian intelligence agencies. An ongoing spat between the new, SDSM led Government in Macedonia, and the Serbian Government is developing, with SDSM leader and newly appointed Prime Minister Zoran Zaev accusing Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of being a nationalist, and later newly appointed Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov echoed these comments about Serbian meddling.