Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with Russia’s upcoming presidential election by orchestrating recent attacks on Russian regions, according to remarks published on Wednesday.
In a wide-ranging interview with Russia’s RIA state news agency and Rossiya-1 state television, Putin asserted that the primary objective of Ukraine’s recent attacks is to disrupt or interfere with the normal process of expressing citizens’ will during the presidential election.
“The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to – if not to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia – then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens,” Putin stated.
Putin, who initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, is widely expected to secure victory in the presidential vote scheduled from March 15 to 17.
