Some Foreign Observers to Skip Russian Vote for Technical Reasons - Lawmaker

08:26 GMT, 16 March 2018

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Some foreign observers will not attend Russian presidential election scheduled for Sunday over technical reasons and not because of the poisoning incident with former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the chairman of the Russian upper house's Foreign Affairs Committee told Sputnik on Friday.

Sputnik

"There are refusals, but they are technical, connected with organizational problems. None of them are linked to Skripal's case," Konstantin Kosachev said.

On Monday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that Russia was "highly likely" responsible for the attack on Skripal, who together with his daughter Yulia was exposed to a nerve agent, supposedly the substance known as Novichok.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has refuted all the allegations and requested the UK Foreign Office for a joint investigation into the case. The proposal was ignored by the UK leadership, with May announcing a package of anti-Russian measures, including the expulsion of Russian diplomats, and suspension of bilateral contacts between London and Moscow.

Russian Embassy in Damascus Opens Polling Place for 2018 Presidential Election

16 March 2018, 09:27 GMT

Russia presidential election will be held this Sunday, March 18. Russians will choose the next president of the country from the following candidates: Sergey Baburin from the All-People's Union party, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Civic Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin, Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights Boris Titov, co-founder of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky and head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.