Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman warned the United States to avoid involvement in upcoming Russian presidential elections.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to win his fourth term in office on March 18. He faces weak competition, and the strongest rival, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was barred from running because he is a convicted felon. Navalny maintains his embezzlement conviction was politically motivated retribution for his reform and anti-corruption campaigns and says he will appeal the ruling.