Syrian delegation to observe Russian elections
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Russia's presidential elections are due to be held on 15–17 March 2024.
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People walk past a billboard with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and words reading "The West doesn't need Russia, we need Russia!" in a street in Sevastopol, Crimea, Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Syria is sending a parliamentary delegation to Russia to observe the presidential election scheduled for March 15-17, a source in the Syrian parliament told Sputnik on Tuesday.
The invitation for this delegation came from the Russian legislature.
"Basem Sudan, chairman of the Syrian-Russian Friendship Committee, will lead the Syrian delegation," the source said.
Russia and Syria have been allies for several decades. When the war erupted in Syria and a surge in terrorist groups ravaged the country, Russia provided military assistance to Syria to help restore peace.
Russia's presidential elections are due to be held on 15–17 March 2024. The country's incumbent president Vladimir Putin is planning to run for another six-year term.
He is currently facing competition from Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the international affairs committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, as well as Nikolai Kharitonov, chair of the house's Far East and Arctic development committee, and Vladislav Davankov, the house's deputy speaker.
Read more: Russia kicks off early presidential elections for remote voters
This year's election promises to be one of the toughest for Russian residents in the EU, as some countries intend to implement strict measures on voters.
For instance, police authorities in Latvia on Monday announced plans to conduct background checks on Russian citizens submitting their votes in the presidential election at the embassy in Riga. The purpose is to ensure they possess valid residency permits, and if necessary, deport them.
They also announced plans to monitor individuals queuing to vote for any signs of "endorsing the war in Ukraine", which could, due to the vague nature of the statement, even include voicing or displaying support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US plans to sabotage elections
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) made the shocking discovery that Joe Biden's administration has entrusted US NGOs with the mission of diminishing the turnout in the Russian presidential elections.
"According to information received by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the administration of Joe Biden sets the task for US NGOs to achieve a decrease in the turnout in the upcoming March 15-17 presidential elections in the Russian Federation," the message read.
The SVR stated that the Russian opposition's Internet resources distributed messages to Russian citizens to neglect the presidential election as per Washington's wish.
"With the participation of leading US IT specialists, it is planned to carry out cyberattacks on the remote electronic voting system, which will make it impossible to count the votes of a significant proportion of Russian voters," the statement added.
It explained that according to Washington's calculations, the "reduction in turnout" acquired through appeals and cyberattacks will grant the West an excuse to doubt the results of the elections in Russia.
Read more: US-backed NGO runs Russian opposition troll farm: Reports
