MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Some Western countries have not yet responded to Russia's request to ensure the integrity of polling stations during the presidential election, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing.
"We note that the situation with ensuring security at the polling stations is very troubling," the diplomat said. "A number of European and American countries have not yet responded to Russia’s request for assistance in ensuring and observing security and public order. We are talking about polling venues," she added.
Zakharova added that along these lines, the Russian Foreign Ministry "is forced not to hold voting outside the voting premises in areas where fellow citizens are concentrated" in unfriendly countries.
The diplomat also stressed that Russia is recording growing calls to disrupt voting in unfriendly countries. "We warn all extremists of administrative and criminal liability for attempts to disrupt the normal course of elections," Zakharova pointed out.
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.