MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The State Duma's ad hoc commission for investigating foreign interference in Russia's internal affairs regularly exposes attempts by Western agencies at discrediting Russia's election campaign, the commission's chief Vasily Piskaryov said during a round-table discussion at the Public Chamber on Monday.
He stated that outspokenly negative publications in the foreign mass media about the election campaign in Russia "in combination with destructive and biased criticism by a number of foreign governments-controlled non-governmental organizations" constitute a "pre-planned campaign to discredit Russia's elections and persuade the world public abroad not to recognize their results."
Piskaryov said that Western agencies "regularly exploit the issue of alleged violations of democratic rights ahead of the Russian election and call for abolishing Russian legislation on resistance to extremism, terrorism and also on undesirable organizations and foreign agents."
As an example he recalled "discrediting events" by the Free Russia Forum and the Boris Nemtsov Foundation. Piskaryov said they were held with support from non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch, the Civic Solidarity platform, Amnesty International and a number of Western countries.
"The movement Golos, recognized as a foreign agent, cultivates the same theme. It has started publishing data under its Map of Violations project," Piskaryov said. He is certain that a large share of such content is nothing but fakes.
The elections of the eighth State Duma are due on the single voting day, September 19. Ballots can be cast on any of the three days, September 17, 18 and 19. Alongside the elections of the lower house of parliament there will be direct elections of the heads of nine Russian regions (in another three the top regional executive officials will be elected by the local legislatures) and 39 regional parliaments.