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President Vladimir Putin dismissed on Wednesday Western claims that some of the proposed amendments to the Russian constitution are a sign of spy mania because they introduce restrictions on citizenship and accounts in foreign banks for officials occupying state and municipal posts

SEVASTOPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2020) President Vladimir Putin dismissed on Wednesday Western claims that some of the proposed amendments to the Russian constitution are a sign of spy mania because they introduce restrictions on citizenship and accounts in foreign banks for officials occupying state and municipal posts.

"Russia is an open country, we have a lot of foreigners working, by the way, everywhere in our large companies, in institutions of various kinds, we have very close and reliable cultural contacts, very broad scientific, educational contacts.

After all, the amendments to the constitution concern only top officials, "Putin said at a meeting with representatives of the public from Crimea and Sevastopol.

The president stressed that these amendments have nothing in common with spy mania or the "closure of the country."

"This is all a bluff. Moreover, it is only an attempt to influence internal political processes within the Russian Federation itself, with which we never agreed and will not agree," Putin added.