MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Western countries are training instigators to carry out acts of sabotage during Russia’s upcoming parliamentary elections and also plan to place their agents of influence into the country’s representative bodies, said Vasily Piskaryov, chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) commission investigating foreign interference in Moscow’s internal affairs.
"Our analysis shows that active work is underway to train instigators for the elections. The West will also try to introduce its agents of influence into representative bodies," he wrote on Telegram.
Piskaryov pointed out that online training courses for such agents were offered in the West, particularly in the three Baltic nations and Germany. "A number of ‘departments’ are operating, including a department for the training of self-nominated ‘candidates,’ that is, those who will be promoted in election campaigns to government agencies. There is also a department of ‘voters’ and ‘observers.’ They are being taught the skills and methods of staging acts of provocation at polling stations, as well as the tactics for securing desired voting results, and other such things," the lawmaker specified.
Piskaryov noted that "thousands of people underwent training in Latvia alone" in the past several years, "most of whom live in Russia," while some lecturers at those courses were designated as foreign agents in Russia. "We are working closely with law enforcement agencies in this regard. We are confident that no matter how hard our opponents try, another attempt to interfere in our country’s electoral affairs will be foiled, as has happened before," the senior lawmaker stressed.