YEKATERINBURG, September 15. /TASS/. Moldova has no right to deprive Russian citizens in Transnistria of the opportunity to vote in the elections to the State Duma, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival.

"Russian citizens have the right to freely express their will; this is one of the fundamental human rights. By the way, these are precisely the same values, including Western values, by the way, Western European ones, to which Chisinau seems to have sworn allegiance," the diplomat said.

"Both Russia and, by the way, Moldova have obligations in this regard, including within the OSCE framework. There are 200,000, even more than 200,000 Russian citizens living in Transnistria. Was it Moldovan Foreign Minister [Mihail] Popsoi who decided that they could be deprived of the right to vote? Chisinau has no right to deprive residents on the right bank of the Dniester of the opportunity to vote. They should not hide behind any made·up pretexts."