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Russia notes confusion among external foes in run-up to State Duma elections — diplomat

Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Oleg Gavrilov pointed out that the country was entering a "very crucial period," when the entire process in the run-up to the election would be reviewed "literally under a microscope"

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Moscow is pointing to confusion among Russia’s external foes and attributes this confusion to the effectiveness of the measures taken by the authorities, including within the framework of the law on foreign agent media, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Oleg Gavrilov said during a Senate meeting on preparation for elections on Thursday.

The diplomat underscored that the country was already entering a "very crucial period," when the entire process in the run-up to the election would be reviewed "literally under a microscope" and would be "commented on with as much bias as possible in Western capitals," seeking to relay "corresponding signals" to the Russian audience.

"What is quite indicative - especially for the far from perfect democratic Western countries - is the clearly out-of-the ordinary party of about fifty observers that landed, sent to Russia by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. This is often interpreted as the need for special attention, and monitoring during the upcoming elections," Gavrilov noted.

At the same time, there is still "some confusion" present "among external foes".

"We would refrain from calling it a lull, but a certain confusion is indeed present, which we attribute, among other things, to the efficiency of the measures being taken, provided for, in particular, by the law on foreign media acting as a foreign agent," Gavrilov continued. "The requirement to mark the content, implemented in accordance with this law, effectively exposed the Western infrastructure of foreign influence on the mechanisms of shaping public opinion in Russia, and thereby weakens their destabilizing potential."

On June 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order scheduling the State Duma elections for September 19, 2021. The elections will span over three days - September 17, 18 and 19. Election Day voting will also include races among nine governors and 39 regional parliaments.