Russian President Vladimir Putin said he “regrets” that his country does not have a propaganda machine, but alleged that the West does, as Russian daily newspaper Kommersant reports.
Putin, whose three terms as president since 1999 have seen a large state takeover of Russian media, used a speech at the annual Valdai Club summit in Sochi on Oct. 27 to address allegations that the Kremlin has tried to influence western electorates to vote in ways favorable to Russia. Most recently the U.S. Democratic Party has accused Putin of attempting to influence the presidential election there, suggesting he would prefer they elect the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
