In an interview published on Wednesday by the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, the diplomat clarified that the missives were shared by the Central Electoral Commission, the Foreign Ministry or the Federal Assembly (Parliament), among other domestic structures.

On the authorities’ proposal to require mandatory vaccination for observers, Lavrov noted that on the issue of sanitary measures and restrictions, he will rely on the opinion of his country’s professionals.

On Friday, the general ambassador of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Guennadi Askaldovich, said that the country is ready to receive and ensure a safe stay for international observers, as well as to create all the necessary legal and technical-organizational conditions for them to fulfill their tasks.’

The diplomat explained that Russia adheres to the principles of maximum openness and transparency of the election process, and is very interested in the observers’ attendance, despite the Covid-19 epidemiological situation.

He confirmed that Russia will receive representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, among other international organizations.

On the legislative elections, lawmakers will be elected to fill the 450 seats in the Duma.

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