MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. Moscow’s opponents will try especially hard to provoke the situation ahead of March’s presidential election in Russia, Nail Mukhitov, an aide to the secretary of the Russian Security Council, told TASS in an interview.

"We are afraid that things could turn worse. Ahead of the Russian presidential election, the West will put special effort into attempts to destabilize the political situation in our country," he said.

According to the politician, Russia’s adversaries view the country’s multiethnicity as its Achilles’ heel. He recounted the events of the end of last year in Dagestan which he said had been instigated by Western intelligence services as he decried the futility of similar attempts in Russia.

"Actual situations have shown that the strength of our country lies in its cultural diversity and the diversity of traditions," Mukhitov emphasized.