Putin says goal of Ukraine's attacks on Russia is to interfere with election

13 March 2024 - 12:20
By Lidia Kelly
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Director General of Rossiya Segodnya media group Dmitry Kiselyov during an interview in Moscow, Russia, March 12, 2024.
Image: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Director General of Rossiya Segodnya media group Dmitry Kiselyov during an interview in Moscow, Russia, March 12, 2024.

The main goal of Ukraine's recent attacks on Russian regions is to interfere with the upcoming presidential election, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Wednesday.

β€œThe main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to β€” if not to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia β€” then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens,” Putin told Russia's RIA state news agency and Rossiya-1 state television in a wide-ranging interview.

Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, is nearly certain to win the March 15 to 17 presidential vote.

Reuters