Russia's Lavrov: 'cynical' to call St Petersburg blast revenge for Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts during a news conference after a meeting with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in Moscow, Russia, March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/Files

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday it would be "cynical and mean" to call a deadly blast in St Petersburg an act of revenge for Russia's actions in Syria, Russian state news agency RIA reported. Russia authorities said the blast that killed at least 14 people in St Petersburg was carried out by a suspected suicide bomber with ties to radical Islamists. (Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Christian Lowe)