Putin rejects 'clear overkill' claims Russia behind European unrest

Putin dismisses 'clear overkill' accusations

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected allegations that Moscow is fomenting mass protests across European cities, calling such claims a "clear overkill" during an interview with the VGTRK broadcasting company published Sunday. The Russian leader expressed surprise that initial reactions in Europe had targeted Washington rather than Moscow, noting that commentators first blamed the US administration for supporting right-wing movements before pivoting to traditional accusations against the Kremlin.

"Claims immediately began to be thrown out that the events taking place in Europe are the result of the activities of the current American administration and its support for right-wing parties and movements," Putin said, describing the shift as "strange and completely unexpected." He added that European leaders had quickly returned to "their traditional accusations against the Russian Federation," noting that "Russia has always been accused of all mortal sins" but that he remained ready to respond.

Paris unrest triggers geopolitical finger-pointing

The remarks come amid nationwide student protests in France that have stretched over several weeks — prompting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to accuse demonstrators of deploying "hostile narratives" originating from Russia, China, Iran and the MAGA community during an OECD-hosted conference on Oct. 21. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed such allegations as absurd on Oct. 19, while US President Donald Trump has attributed the unrest to mass migration.

Putin argued that attributing the demonstrations to Russian interference represents an obvious exaggeration evident to ordinary European citizens. "My first reaction when I saw this was surprise, because to say that we are provoking mass protests in major European cities is a clear overkill, which, in my opinion, is obvious to ordinary citizens of European countries," he stated.

European leaders accused of avoiding responsibility

The Russian president contended that the pivot toward blaming Moscow exposes "the weakness and inability of some leaders in European countries to take responsibility for what is happening." He criticized officials for failing to analyze underlying causes of unrest, saying: "This is bad. Why? Because it means they do not analyze the events, do not look for the causes of what is happening, but simply shift the blame onto someone, first the US, now Russia."