MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The United Kingdom is demonstrating double standards when commenting on elections held in Russia and the United States, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova wrote on Thursday in her Telegram channel to comment on the statement made by British envoy to the OSCE Neil Bush who claimed that Moscow’s limitations placed on the number of observers that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) can field to the upcoming State Duma (lower house of parliament) would make impossible to credibly assess the elections.

"Where was Neil Bush and the whole British Foreign Office when the ODIHR team was formed for the US 2020 presidential elections?" the diplomat asked. "Is Neil Bush aware of how many observers arrived in the US after all (several states did not let them in at the same time)? I can tell, 30! What will Neil Bush say to describe his behavior: double standards or fealty?"

The OSCE said on Wednesday that it does not deem it possible to send observers to the State Duma elections due to restrictions imposed by Moscow. According to the OSCE ODIHR chief Matteo Mecacci, it is crucial for the organization to independently determine the necessary number of observers.

British Ambassador to the OSCE Neil Bush said on Thursday that the limitations placed on the number of OSCE observers will get in the way of credibly monitoring the elections. "the UK shares the disappointment expressed by ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that limitations imposed by Russia will prevent the OSCE from providing the Russian voters with a transparent and authoritative assessment of their forthcoming Duma State elections," he said in a statement. "Russia’s decision to severely restrict the number of observers would undermine the effectiveness and credibility of ODIHR’s election observation.".