The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on Monday that the European Union is planning a “large-scale” interference campaign in the Russian legislative elections scheduled for September 18-20.
The agency said that representatives of European intelligence agencies planned cyberattacks on Russian election infrastructure together with their Ukrainian counterparts, as well as encouraged Ukraine to “intensify sabotage and terrorist attacks” in Russia.
The SVR alleged that the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, a human rights organization separate from the EU, are preparing to denounce the election as illegitimate due to “gross violations during their preparation and conduct.”