ARKHANGELSK, April 16. /TASS/. The Russian presidential election was a unifying factor for the Russian people, as they banded together against the West's attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on the country, Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said.
"The coming together of our people to solve vital tasks to protect the sovereignty and national interests of the country came in response to the attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. This was also demonstrated by the Russian presidential election held in March of this year. The incumbent head of state and the policy he pursues were supported by the overwhelming majority of the country's citizens," Patrushev told a meeting on security in Russia’s northwestern region in Arkhangelsk.
"Attempts made by the collective West to meddle in Russia's internal affairs, any provocations to stir up interethnic or interreligious conflicts, as the Russian president has said, will be regarded as aggression against our country and will be harshly suppressed," Patrushev added.