MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. The current US campaign aiming to interfere in Russia’s sovereign affairs amid the legislative elections is marked by its significant use of technology, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"This time, the interference is based on a very profound technological base and that’s what we told the American envoy who was summoned to the Foreign Ministry," the diplomat stressed.
Zakharova explained that this base is formed by "the very IT giants and IT monopolies of the US which are seemingly separated from the state" but at the same time "pursue a course that is favorable to Washington on the international arena." "It [course] is clearly showing that new technologies are being used to meddle in affairs of other states," she concluded.
US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on September 10 where he had a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. The ministry said in a statement that the Russian senior diplomat presented evidence to the envoy that American IT giants are violating Russian laws on the eve of elections and told him that it is unacceptable to interfere in the domestic affairs of the country.
Elections to the 8th Russian State Duma (lower house) are scheduled for September 19, 2021, known as the Single Voting Day. The balloting process will span three days - September 17, 18, and 19.