West's Ukrainian scenario of govt overthrow won't happen in Russia - Volodin
VOLGOGRAD. March 14 (Interfax) - Some political forces in the West would like to see an obedient and controllable politician leading Russia, but their hope that the Ukrainian scenario of resolving the "personnel issue" is possible here is in vain, Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said.
"[They] wanted 'their own' president, a tame, obedient one. Like in Ukraine," Volodin told reporters during a working visit to Volgograd on Wednesday.
It is obvious that Russia is now "an inconvenient competitor" in many areas for certain Western countries, he said. "And they are trying to remove it from the field of competition, often by dishonest means," Volodin said.
"All those steps taken by the United States and now the United Kingdom aim at destroying Russia as a state," he said.
"Every possible way of putting pressure on Russia" is being used, Volodin said. "These are sanctions, unfriendly decisions regarding duties on certain goods, and groundless accusations voiced by leading politicians," Volodin said.
Such actions look like death throes, he said.
"And it is absolutely clear today that the sanctions policy has failed and an attempt to divide Russian society has not succeeded. On the contrary, it became unified, the political elites united around the president. And the West understands that but does not want to admit it," Volodin said.
However, many issues which are being actively hyped up in the West will be removed from the political agenda following the presidential election in Russia, he said.
The pressure being put on Russia is "an unambiguous attempt to disrupt the situation ahead of the presidential election," Volodin said. This is why "we're seeing [the West's] interference in our electoral campaign today," he said.