Russia accuses EU of meddling in upcoming Duma elections amid unfounded claims
Russian officials allege that the EU is planning to interfere with the State Duma vote scheduled for Sept. 18-20, despite lacking evidence.
As Russia prepares for its September 18-20 State Duma elections, Moscow’s propaganda machine has launched a campaign accusing the European Union of plotting to disrupt the vote. Foreign intelligence briefed on Aug. 31 warned of “provocations” and cyber-attacks, while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the EU is training secret observers and Duma commission head Vasily Piskaryov alleged extremist groups will run fake exit polls at Russian embassies.
No evidence has been presented, and the EU has rejected the charges. Disinformation researcher Julia Smirnova explains the claims serve to delegitimize exile critics, reinforce a siege narrative, and shift focus from Russia’s own meddling in European elections. International watchdogs note the Duma vote is widely seen as a rubber-stamp, with independent monitoring barred and opposition parties either excluded or labeled extremist. The Kremlin’s pattern mirrors similar accusations made ahead of previous elections in 2011, 2012 and 2021.
