MOSCOW, January 9 Federation Council Commission on protection of state sovereignty records the intensification of the information campaign to discredit the presidential elections of the Russian Federation, the commission’s Telegram channel says.
“The commission’s working group records the expected intensification of an information campaign by unfriendly countries in attempts to discredit the presidential elections in Russia. Through Western-sponsored media resources, controlled media and foreign agents, sweeping accusations and assessments are being spread aimed at creating a negative attitude towards the election campaign and electoral procedures in the Russian Federation as as such,” the message says.
As an example, the commission cited the “Statements of violations in the collection of signatures in support of the nomination of Vladimir Putin” published on December 29 by the movement “Voice” *, recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation, which contains “unsubstantiated accusations of “coercion and illegal collection of signatures.”
In addition, on January 6, the Russian-language version of the “Radio Liberty” resource, sponsored by the US government and included in the register of foreign agents*, published an obviously commissioned article by foreign agent Ivan Belyaev* about the Russian presidential elections,” which imposes the opinion that “not a single serious person will not be able to say that they (the elections) are even the slightest bit free, fair, competitive or unpredictable,” the report says.
“08.01 on the website of the movement “Voice”* recognized as a foreign agent, an article was published “How the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation “works” with complaints about the presidential campaign.” The material promotes the false thesis that “the election campaign is taking place with unprecedented violations and massive open use of administrative resources with virtually no its very first days,” the senators emphasized.
The working group created within the commission to monitor attempts to interfere in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation also recalled that, according to the law, foreign agents “do not have the right to carry out activities that promote or hinder the nomination of candidates, lists of candidates, election of registered candidates, putting forward an initiative to hold a referendum and holding a referendum, achieving a certain result in elections, a referendum, as well as in other forms to participate in election campaigns, referendum campaigns.»
The Federation Council scheduled elections for March 17, 2024. Voting will last three days: March 15, 16 and 17. This will be the first three-day presidential election in the Russian Federation.
* Recognized as foreign agents in Russia