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Kremlin expects unbiased probe on Google, Facebook meddling in Russian elections

Russia’s telecom and media watchdog blamed Google, Facebook and YouTube for political advertisement during the September 8 elections in Russia, including during the so-called silence day

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. The Kremlin hopes that a State Duma (lower house) commission will carry out an unbiased investigation into reports that Google and Facebook have meddled into Russia’s elections, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"We hope that there will be an absolutely unbiased consideration of this issue, with all nuances and aspects. The commission has been set up especially for this goal, in order to consider these issues in a professional way. They are pressing and important. We will wait until this commission’s conclusions," Peskov said.

Earlier, Chairman of the State Duma Commission on Foreign Interference in Russia’s Internal Affairs Vasily Piskarev said he and his colleagues would thoroughly analyze data on meddling in Russia’s elections by Google and Facebook, which was provided by the Central Election Commission and Russia’s telecom and media watchdog.

The watchdog blamed Google, Facebook and YouTube for political advertisement during the September 8 elections in Russia, including during the so-called silence day. Ahead of the voting day, Roskomnadzor warned Google and Facebook that it was unacceptable to post political advertisements on September 7 and 8 in connection with the elections in Russia.

First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission Nikolai Bulayev said in his turn that many materials provided by Google search engine could be viewed as those exerting influence on voters.