Kremlin spokesperson Dimitri Peskov claimed on Mar. 6 that Russia had never interfered with elections in the United States, and it did not intend to do so at this time.

Russia’s democracy is “the best”

Peskov was speaking at a youth forum at Sochi, according to Politico.

There, he told students in the audience that Russia would “no longer tolerate criticism of their democracy”, adding that Russia’s “democracy is the best” .

Peskov: we will no longer tolerate the criticism of our democracy! Our democracy is the best!

The reaction of a person in the audience in the end says it all. pic.twitter.com/AMeriavEhc

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 6, 2024

According to Reuters, he also said that Russia never interfered in the elections in the United States, contradicting a 2019 report by US special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller’s report found that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a sweeping and systemic fashion.

Reuters also reported that US intelligence believed that Russia had also interfered in the 2020 election, and continued its efforts to denigrate the US. President Joe Biden's candidacy as late as 2021.

Russia does not dictate to anyone how to live: Peskov

Peskov said that Russia did not intend to interfere, and did not dictate to anyone how to live, but also added that “we don't want others to dictate to us”.

He also warned against attempts to interfere in Russian elections, due in March, saying that such attempts would be prevented.

He added that Russia did not care about Western criticism of Putin.

Politico reported that Peskov had earlier said that Putin would receive 90 per cent of the vote in the election, although he claimed later that his comments were misconstrued.

Peskov’s comments on the U.S. elections come after China’s president Xi Jinping reportedly made a similar promise to Biden when they met face to face in November 2023.

Not alone

Putin faces very little serious opposition in the upcoming election, with Politico reporting that the three other candidates in the election have voluntarily abstained from criticising him.

Two other potential candidates have been disqualified from the presidential race.

Russia’s main opposition figure Alexi Navalny, was recently found dead in a prison in the artic; which his wife, Yulia Navalnaya has called a political assassination.

His funeral drew tens of thousands of mourners, and memorials were marked by mountains of flowers.

Navalnaya has called on her husband’s supporters to protest the upcoming election by overwhelming polling stations by voting together at noon on Mar. 17.

Navalnaya said that protestors should vote for any candidate other than Putin, spoil their ballot by writing in Navalny’s name, or simply arriving at the polling station and leaving, according to the Guardian.

Navalnaya said that it was a “simple and safe action”, and would help like-minded people realise they are not alone.

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Top image via @smotri_media/X