MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. The Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") at a plenary session unanimously adopted a petition to the United Nations, international parliamentary organizations and foreign parliaments urging these bodies to condemn Western interference in the Russian presidential election and the promotion of terrorism and extremism during the election campaign.
"The Federation Council <…> calls on the United Nations, international parliamentary organizations and foreign parliaments to condemn the Washington-coordinated actions of Western countries aimed at interfering in the preparation and holding of the Russian presidential election, impeding the free expression of the will of Russian citizens, as well as encouraging terrorism and extremism to destabilize the situation in Russia during the election campaign," the text of the petition said.
The senators also welcomed the positions held by countries of the global majority, which have refused to support a statement initiated by the US and its satellites condemning the organization of the Russian presidential election.
In its petition, the Federation Council strongly condemned all attempts at external interference, which began well before the date of the election itself, and said that in most cases such meddling was coordinated by Washington. The senators pointed out that attempts at interference were carried out in several directions. In particular, according to the senators, in October 2023, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution casting doubt not only on the Russian presidential election itself, but also on the 2020 referendum on amendments to the Russian Constitution. In addition, several Western politicians, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, made public statements about not recognizing the election results even before any votes were even cast.
Moreover, the senators pointed out that the authorities of hostile countries created obstacles to the voting process for expatriate Russian citizens abroad, attempted to put pressure on election organizers, intimidated election commission members, carried out over 12 mln cyberattacks on the official website of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC), and obstructed the arrival of international observers in Russia to monitor the election process.
Kiev regime’s attempts
"The Kiev regime, instigated by its NATO handlers, also undertook actions to disrupt the Russian presidential election. Ukrainian armed formations shelled polling stations in Russia’s border regions, actively used drones carrying explosives against Russian facilities during the election period, and carried out armed attempts to breach the Russian border in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, which were successfully thwarted," the senators said in the petition. They also added that as a result of these criminal actions peaceful civilians, including children, died.
The senators pointed the attention of the UN and foreign parliamentarians to the fact that on the very next day after the announcement of the final election results, in Crocus City Hall "foreign citizens committed a bloody terrorist act that claimed the lives of more than 140 civilians."
Russia held its first-ever three-day presidential election over the period March 15-17. According to the CEC, after 100% of vote tally reports by local election commissions had been processed, incumbent President Vladimir Putin held a resounding lead over his three rivals with 87.28% of the vote. The election saw a record voter turnout of 77.44%.
On the evening of March 22, a terrorist attack targeted the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just outside the Moscow city limits. According to the latest data, 145 people were killed and 551 people were injured. Eleven people suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack have been apprehended, including the four gunmen, who were arrested in the Bryansk Region, southwest of Moscow, as they attempted to flee across the nearby Ukrainian border. The Investigative Committee said that it had evidence proving that the perpetrators of the attack were linked to Ukrainian nationalists.