Russia accuses US of planning unrest before presidential elections

The U.S. is trying to seize even the slightest opportunity as the presidential election in Russia is approaching, says SVR Director Sergei Naryshkin

As the presidential elections in Russia are approaching, the United States may do everything in its power to sow civil unrest in the country, Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said in a statement on the official website Wednesday.

Emphasizing that the U.S. wants to seize even the slightest opportunity to create turmoil in Russia ahead of the presidential elections, the SVR Director warned that the U.S. State Department will try to attract even Russians who have graduated from Access, Advance, FLEX, Fulbright, Global UGRAD.

In his statement, Naryshkin also warned intelligence officers about national security ahead of the elections to be held on March 15-17.

Stating that the American intelligence services are preparing a series of seminars under diplomatic cover to confuse the situation on the evening of the elections in Russia, Naryshkin noted that the first seminar will be held on Feb. 16-18 in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

He stressed that U.S. intelligence officers working in the U.S. embassies in Moscow and Riga under the guise of diplomatic missions would play the role of ‘mentors’ at the seminar, underlining that the so-called ‘listeners’ would have no difficulty in understanding the content of the seminar.

Naryshkin underlined that the belief prevails in Washington that Russian graduates, “properly processed,” could replace the non-systemic opposition fleeing en masse to the West and become a key element of the “fifth column”.

Source: Sputnik