Russian President Putin warns against 'western powers' trying to destabilize the govt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused “western powers” of trying to destabilize the country and ordered the country’s top counterintelligence agency to tackle their efforts. On February 24, Putin met top officials from Federal Security Service (FSS) and spoke about the so-called “Policy of containment of Russia” which he said, aimed at derailing Russian development and society. With the country facing legislative elections in September this year, Putin asked the apex body to quell any "provocation" in the country.

Speaking at the meeting, the Russian leader elaborated on the policy of 'Containment of Russia' stressing that it included efforts at derailing Russia's development, slowing it down, creating problems alongside the borders, provoking internal instability and undermining the values that unite society. The Russian leader, without taking names, then said that foreign nations conspired to  weaken Russia and put it under "outside control.”

The relationship between the erstwhile Soviet nation and the west rapidly plummeted after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Their relationship tittered further after US intelliegnece agency accused Putin of meddling with American elections in 2016. The country has once again attracted the ire of the west after detaining Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

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'Necessary to draw a line' 

Without naming Navalny during the meet, Putin lambasted those who "serve" foreign powers. “It''s necessary to draw a line between natural political competition, competition between political parties, ideological platforms, various views on the country''s development, and the activities that have nothing to do with democracy and are aimed at undermining stability and security of our state, at serving foreign interests,” he said. With nationwide protest gaining momentum, putin asked the counter intelligence forces to shield the upcoming polls from any “provocation”.

Navalny was arrested by the Russian authorities soon after returning from Germany last month, where he had been since August 2020 for treatment. Navalny was flown to Berlin from Russia last year after he fell ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. Upon landing in Germany, doctors concluded Navalny had been poisoned using Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny was in a medically-induced coma for almost a month following which he was kept in the hospital for recovery treatment. 

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