DISINFO: Unfriendly countries interfere in Russian elections
SUMMARY
Interference in the Russian presidential election is coming from all unfriendly countries, primarily the US and Germany. The Germans are trying to interfere in the elections through NGOs and the media. They want to discredit the electoral campaign and question the electoral process. The Americans are trying to make the whole world recognise the elections as illegitimate.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about alleged foreign interference in Russian elections.
Presidential elections were held in Russia from March 15 to March 17. Acknowledging the impossibility of influencing the primary outcome, numerous opposition politicians emphasised the importance of going to the polling stations to express their dissent. Read more about the polling day protest called Midday against Putin. However, there is no evidence that the US or Germany were interfering in the Russian presidential elections. Opinions expressed by officials in Germany, the US and other countries do not mean that these countries were interfering in the elections. These countries did not call for action or incite protests during the election. Instead, their statements solely highlighted the lack of democratic procedures throughout the electoral campaign and voting process.
Germany's Foreign Ministry said Putin's so-called landslide victory result would ‘surprise nobody.’ ‘Putin's rule is authoritarian, he relies on censorship, repression & violence. The "election" in the occupied territories of Ukraine are null and void & another breach of international law,’ the Ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said that such Russian reports were ‘another false narrative of the Kremlin.’ The spokesperson added: ‘The United States does not take sides in elections; our only interest is in the democratic process.’ The elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him," the White House's national security council spokesperson said.
A Council of the EU statement of 18 March 2024 stated:
"The elections took place in an ever-shrinking political space, which has resulted in an alarming increase of violations of civil and political rights, and precluded many candidates from running, including all those opposed to Russia’s illegal war of aggression, deprived Russian voters of a real choice and heavily limited their access to accurate information".
These statements only reflect these countries’ assessment of the electoral process which was far from being democratic. The media in the EU, the US and G7 nations enjoy freedom of expression, so their reports cannot be regarded as interference in the electoral process.
Russia has for several years refused to properly invite OSCE observers for elections in Russia. The last time OSCE observed elections in Russia was in 2018.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Presidential elections in new regions of Russia are held without violations, that On the eve of the RF presidential elections, Americans want to “stir up” the situation in Russia, and that Russia has the right to hold elections in former Ukrainian regions.