MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) commission investigating foreign interference in Russia’s domestic affairs has recorded attempts by foreign agents based overseas to carry out acts of provocation aimed at discrediting Russia’s upcoming presidential vote, said State Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Chairman Vasily Piskaryov, who also heads the commission.
"The commission has recorded attempts by a number of foreign agents, members of extremist foreign organizations and media outlets, as well as of those [foreign entities that have been deemed] undesirable in Russia, to conduct a series of protests near Russia’s overseas [diplomatic] facilities, which would be timed to coincide with our country’s presidential election and would be aimed at discrediting the vote," Piskaryov noted.
He emphasized that the organizers of such activities were holding meetings with members of Russian-speaking communities, announcing "strategies of action for the upcoming election" and distributing "interactive maps of overseas polling stations where groups of protesters are supposed to gather." In addition, in the lawmaker’s words, preparations are underway to film "stories for the media using extremist symbols."
"Given that the organizers of this campaign are involved in anti-Russian activities, it is also possible that preparations will be made to stage provocations during voting at overseas polling stations. We have sent the relevant files to the Russian Foreign Ministry," Piskaryov stressed.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out earlier that the likelihood of provocations occurring during voting at overseas polling stations would be extremely high. According to Zakharova, Moscow is taking this factor into account when planning measures to ensure the security of the voting process and the safety of expatriate Russian voters. She also announced that 269 polling stations had been set up in other countries.
The Federation Council (upper house of parliament) formally designated March 17, 2024, as the date of Russia’s presidential election. The Central Election Commission decided that the vote would take place over three days, on March 15-17, 2024, making it the first-ever three-day presidential election in Russian history.