MOSCOW—Russia's parliament on Friday alleged the United States was helping train radical political groups which threatened the country's stability in the run-up to key parliamentary and presidential elections.
The allegations appeared to be directed at a coalition of fierce Kremlin critics, called "Other Russia," which is planning to defy an official ban by holding protest rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg this weekend.
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament which is dominated by Kremlin supporters, unanimously passed a motion in which alleged U.S. officials took part in events "whose organisers include openly extremist forces."
"Under the guise of helping the conduct of free and fair election ... U.S. taxpayers' money is being used to fund numerous training courses, surveys, seminars and other events which propagandise tendentious assessments that distort the situation .. in Russia," said the motion.
"Other Russia" has said it expects about 5,000 supporters to gather in central Moscow on Saturday for a rally to protest at what it calls the crushing of democratic freedoms under President Vladimir Putin.
The protest organisers have said they fear police actions could lead to violence. Police have warned they will act decisively to prevent any illegal actions.
Sabotage
"Other Russia"—led by chess champion Garry Kasparov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov—has marginal influence in a country where the vast majority back Putin and credit him with bringing economic growth and political stability.
But the Kremlin and its supporters say the group is trying to sabotage that stability in the run-up to a parliamentary election in December and a 2008 presidential vote when Putin will step down.
Accusations that "Other Russia" enjoys foreign sponsorship are likely to damage the coalition's standing. Russian law forbids foreign states from funding organisations involved in political activities.
Maria Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Center, a think tank, said there seemed to be a concerted effort by Kremlin supporters and the pro-Kremlin media to link the United States to outspoken opposition groups in Russia.
"This is a line that is commonly and consistently used in order to discredit these activists in the eyes of the Russian public - that not only are they disloyal and extremists .... (but they are also funded from abroad," she said.
She said some Russians may draw a parallel between the planned protests and Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky's statement, in an interview published in Friday, that he was trying to topple Putin from his base in London.
Earlier on Friday, the Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, passed a motion of its own censuring the U.S. State Department for a report last month that was critical of Russia's record on human rights and democratic freedoms.
On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry accused the United States of meddling in domestic politics and a pro-Kremlin youth organisation staged a protest outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
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