MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. The West is trying to undermine Russia’s relations with the countries of the post-Soviet CIS bloc through aggressive information campaigns, an effort that only works to hurt Commonwealth states, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a meeting of the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament).

"It is this organically formed community, [its] closeness and unity in many respects that the West is trying to tear apart through aggressive information campaigns against Russia and our neighbors. Such actions lead to very tragic consequences, primarily for the post-Soviet countries," Zakharova said at the meeting focused on information influence in post-Soviet space.

Meanwhile, the West’s influence on these countries is disastrous, she said, citing Ukraine as an example. "It is in our common interests with the CIS countries to ensure maximum interaction to strengthen and protect the common information space," Zakharova pointed out.