YEKATERINBURG, September 16. /TASS/. The West is attempting to directly interfere with Russians’ voting in the State Duma elections, both abroad and inside Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at the International Festival of Youth.

"As in previous years – but particularly intensely during this election campaign – we are observing direct interference by the West, attempts at direct interference by the West in the expression of our citizens' will; this is observed particularly acutely abroad, but such attempts are taking place inside Russia as well," Lavrov said.

"When the people head to the polls, they naturally want to vote for their future – for a bright future, for improvements in the socio-economic situation across all regions of Russia, and, of course, for a safe environment to live in. It is precisely these areas that the West will attempt to target. Therefore, the foreign policy aspects of the current election campaign are highly relevant and play a decisive role in the upcoming elections, which are set to begin any day now," Lavrov emphasized.

An International Festival of Youth is taking place in Yekaterinburg from September 11 to 17 under the slogan Follow Your Dream. It is expected to draw 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries – 5,000 from Russia and 5,000 from abroad. The program will also involve 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17. TASS is the event's general information partner.