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Speculation over the possibility there were Russian spies in Barcelona around the 2017 independence referendum have sparked diplomatic tension between Madrid and Moscow.

The Russian ambassador to Spain, Yuri Korchagin, spoke indignantly today to three official Russian news agencies and warned that there is an attempt to "erode the positive relations" between the two countries. He called for a meeting of the fake news monitoring commission agreed on by foreign ministers Josep Borrell and Sergey Lavrov in April 2018.

Korchagin warned the Spanish government that if speculation continues, the public will get worried and start asking for explanations. "They will ask the Spanish government why it's staying silent," he said. "In my opinion, the Spanish people, who aren't short-sighted politically, must think that promoting these reports doesn't only have effects abroad, but also at home," he continued.

The ambassador said that agents from Russia's security services have never wanted to destabilise Spain, taking advantage of the Catalan conflict. According to him, all such speculation is "fantasy".

That speculation, which has captured the attention of the Spanish press, suggests that a group called Unit 29155 was set up to conduct computer attacks and create false social media profiles. There are also claims that Western intelligence agencies believe general Denis Sergeyev, an expert in sabotage linked to the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the UK in 2018, was in Catalonia in autumn 2017.

So far, no specific action attributed to Russian spies has yet come to light linked to the Catalan independence process.

Russian news agency Sputnik noted that, in 2017, the Spanish media "already saw itself inundated with baseless accusations about the interference of mysterious Russian hackers in the Catalan crisis". It was following that that the two foreign ministers agreed to create the commission, which has never yet met.

Korchagin said that his government's position towards Catalonia hasn't changed in the last two years: "The foreign ministry of the Russian Federation, following the basic principles of international law, believes that the events in Catalonia are an internal matter for Spain. We hope that the situation is resolved through dialogue, in the strict framework of the interests of a united and prosperous Spain, with respect for the guarantees of the rights and freedoms of the citizens of this country."