Russia accuses Ukraine of attempting to disrupt elections with Western financial, intelligence support

Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of attempting to disrupt the Sept. 18-20 State Duma elections with financial, intelligence and technical support from Western countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said several election officials and civilians were killed and wounded in drone attacks during the voting period. She added that 41 people, including four children, were killed and 338 injured in the last week, accusing Ukraine of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia using weapons supplied by Western countries.

The ministry said attacks during voting mainly targeted polling stations, including schools, cultural centers and social and administrative facilities. It said more than 70 precincts and territorial election commission buildings were damaged by Ukrainian strikes.

Despite the "fierce external pressure," it said Russian voters participated in the elections and demonstrated "resilience and unity."

Russia also criticized Ukraine's proposed 2027 budget, saying its $37.3 billion deficit reflected a sharp increase in defense spending.

Moscow claimed Ukraine planned to allocate about 43.8% of its gross domestic product to defense, with nearly half designated for weapons and military equipment.

The statement claimed Kyiv was relying on Western financial support to cover its budget deficit, including potential assistance from the European Union, G7 countries, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Russia also criticized the recent meeting in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region of the Carpathian Eight initiative on trade and security, comprising Austria, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Ukraine has not responded to the Russian claims, and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing war.

The head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said Friday that the ruling United Russia party secured 349 of 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the legislative vote.