Anti-Russian Campaign May Intensify Ahead of Presidential Election - Lawmaker

"We should expect the rise of a full-scale anti-Russia campaign in the West in the period remaining until the election. It covers almost all spheres, from economy to sport, and has been going on for more than a year," Sergei Zheleznyak, a member of the Russian lower house’s International Affairs Committee and the ruling United Russia party’s Deputy Secretary of the General Council, said as quoted by his press service.

The lawmaker stressed that the United States allocated huge budgetary funds to deter Russia's development and openly declared that it intended to interfere in Russia’s political processes, in particular, to influence the presidential campaign.

"Everyone knows the tools of the hybrid war that our opponents use. But despite the anti-Russia hysteria and increased pressure from our unscrupulous opponents, we are ready to repel any attempts by external forces to influence free expression of the will of the Russian people and will help to ensure fairness and transparency of the upcoming election. We will do everything possible to maintain stability in and around our country," the politician concluded.

On Saturday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the United Russia party welcomed the decision of incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin to run as independent candidate in the 2018 election, although the party would have been happy to nominate him as its candidate.

The election campaign in Russia officially began on Monday, while the vote  is scheduled for March 18.