MOSCOW – Washington's recent actions against Russian journalists violate the right to access information and media pluralism, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

A film crew from Russia's Izvestia newspaper, who arrived in Washington to cover the upcoming presidential election, was detained and subjected to hours of interrogation on Tuesday night, resulting in one member being expelled from the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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The Russian journalists had notified US authorities of their intentions and received permission before their arrival, ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

This reflects the United States' readiness to use repressive measures against inconvenient information, she added.

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"The arbitrariness of the American authorities will not remain without a proper reaction on our part," Zakharova added.