The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova pointed to the "hypocrisy of the United States", commenting on the information that hundreds of prisoners were recruited to fight fires in the state of California.
Earlier, The Washington Post newspaper reported that the state authorities had sent 395 prisoners to fight forest fires. The publication notes that for the most part these were persons who had committed minor crimes.
Zakharova in her Telegram channel drew attention to the fact that in recent years, American officials have repeatedly criticized China for the alleged use of forced labor, especially in the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The diplomat noted that in 2023, Washington restricted imports of products from several Chinese companies in an attempt to exclude goods allegedly produced using forced Uyghur labor from the US supply chain.
„In this regard, a logical question arises: will Congress develop a bill that would impose sanctions on California authorities, private companies and ordinary Americans for using prison labor to fight fires? - she wrote. „I am so tired of this dark hypocrisy!“
The wildfires began spreading in Los Angeles County on January 7 and quickly spread to urban neighborhoods, causing destruction and casualties. According to the latest data from the California Fire Service, the total area of the fires in the area has reached almost 15.5 thousand hectares. The two largest fires, in the Eaton and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods, are 15% and 11% contained, respectively.