Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused the Biden administration of attempting to interfere in Russia’s upcoming presidential election.
What Happened: The SVR, without providing evidence, in a statement, has accused the Biden administration of using non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to manipulate voter turnout and discredit the election results.
“According to information received by the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, the administration of Joe Biden is setting a task for American NGOs to achieve a decrease in turnout,” the SVR said in its statement.
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“At the instigation of Washington, calls are being spread through opposition Internet resources for Russian citizens to ignore the elections.”
The SVR’s statement suggests that the Biden administration is working to reduce voter turnout and criticize Putin’s likely victory as illegitimate.
The SVR also alleged that the U.S. plans to use cyber means to target online voting, potentially making it impossible to count a significant portion of Russian votes.
Why It Matters: Russia is set to hold the election later this month. The Kremlin anticipates a larger-than-usual number of voters to participate in the 2024 presidential election, with President Vladimir Putin receiving at least 75% of the vote.
Meanwhile, the U.S. presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 5, while the U.K. general election is expected in the latter half of the year. The U.S. and the U.K. have also initiated high-level discussions regarding potential security threats from Russia that may arise if both nations hold elections around the same time this year.
These SVR allegations also echo similar accusations made by other countries. For instance, in 2023, Turkey’s Interior Minister accused the U.S. of interfering in the country’s general election as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faced a possible historic defeat after his popularity massively declined.
Moreover, the economic sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia have not been as effective as hoped in ending the war in Ukraine. Despite this, experts believe there are additional measures that could be taken to further pressure Russia.
This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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