MOSCOW - Russia has criticized a US judge's ruling in a longstanding dispute over a collection of Jewish writings, warning of potential retaliation in an irate statement that reflected strained ties with the United States.
A judge in Washington on Wednesday ordered Russia to pay $50,000 a day in fines for failure to adhere to a 2010 ruling requiring it to return books and documents to the New York-based Chabad-Lubavitch group.The ruling raised hackles in Russia at a time when relations are strained by differences over the conflict in Syria and by a law signed by President Vladimir Putin last month barring Americans from adopting Russian orphans.
In a Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday, Russia called the initial ruling ordering the return of the texts "odious" and made clear it had no intention of paying fines.
