MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for scrutinizing the activity of foreign companies in social networks during the election race in Russia.

As he met on Monday with the leaders of both houses of Russia's parliament, Putin recalled that the share of advertising by RT and Sputnik in Western social networks had made up a several hundredth points of a percent in spite of all the noise raised around the issue.

"And let's look at the situation here," Putin said. "How many of them [companies] are present here?"

He said there was no limiting off the space of freedom in the internet. "Still we must look attentively at how certain companies are working here in the Internet, in social networks, and to what degree they are involved in our internal political life," the Russian leader said.

"In part we must do scrupulous analysis of their behavior during our election race," Putin said.