CORRECTS - Putin hits out at European Parliament vote

CORRECTS PUTIN QUOTE

By Hakan Ceyhan Aydogan

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said the European Parliament’s resolution on Russian media represented a "political degradation of democratic ideas in the Western society".

Earlier in the day, the European Parliament adopted a non-legislative resolution against what it termed “anti-EU propaganda” propagated by Russia.

"If they take this decision, that means we are witnessing political degradation of democratic ideas in the Western society," Putin said in comments carried by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

In the European Parliament, a total of 691 lawmakers participated in the vote; 304 voted in favor, 179 against and 208 others abstained.

The resolution accused the Kremlin of making propaganda against the EU via media and backing and funding anti-EU forces, such as extreme-right parties and populist forces.

In a statement, the European Parliament said: “The Russian government is employing a wide range of tools and instruments, such as think tanks ..., multilingual TV stations [e.g. Russia Today], pseudo-news agencies and multimedia services [e.g. Sputnik] ..., social media and internet trolls, to challenge democratic values, divide Europe, gather domestic support and create the perception of failed states in the EU’s eastern neighborhood.”

In October, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a report on combating propaganda which named the Russian media as one of the main threats.