West Trying To Destabilize Situation In Russia Ahead Of Parliamentary Election - Dodon

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th January, 2021) Moldova's former president and the leader of the Party of Socialists, Igor Dodon, believes that Western geopolitical players are trying to destabilize the domestic situation in Russia ahead of the election to the lower house of Russia's parliament.

In earlier comments, Dodon said that the recently released footage by Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny about an alleged presidential luxury "palace" in the south of Russia did not look authentic, adding that it was part a design by Western powers to meddle in Russia's internal affairs.

"I think that [this video] is an ordinary fake. I said earlier that Western geopolitical players were trying to destabilize the situation around Russia. Now there is a struggle to destabilize the internal political situation in Russia. All this is not accidental. Russia will soon hold the election to the State Duma [lower house], so they have started to shake up the situation in advance," Dodon said on Facebook.

The election to the Russian lower house is slated for September 19.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that he did not see Navalny's film about the alleged presidential "palace" since he didn't have the time.

According to the Kremlin, all materials included in Navalny's investigation about a "palace" in Gelendzhik are nothing but "a high-quality, well-fabricated story," aimed at gaining a large number of views on the internet. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the building was owned by one or possibly several businessmen, but did not disclose the Names of the owners.

Earlier in the day, the Mash Telegram channel published a video report from the Gelendzhik "palace," showing that the building, which Navalny claimed was furnished with luxury items, was in the initial stage of construction and had no sign of even basic interior decoration.