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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of stirring up protests against his 12-year rule and said foreign countries were spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence Russian elections.

In his first public remarks about daily demonstrations over allegations that Sunday's election was slanted to favor his ruling party, Putin said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had encouraged Kremlin opponents by criticizing the vote.

"She set the tone for some opposition activists, gave them a signal, they heard this signal and started active work," Putin told supporters as he laid out plans for his campaign to return to the presidency in a March election.

Citing the examples of Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution and the removal of governments in Kyrgyzstan - also a fellow former Soviet republic - that were accompanied by bloodshed, he said Western nations were spending heavily to foment political change in Russia.

"Pouring foreign money into electoral processes is particularly unacceptable," said Putin. "Hundreds of millions are being invested in this work. We need to work out forms of protection of our sovereignty, defense against interference from outside."

He added: "We have to think of ways to tighten accountability for those who carry out the aims of foreign states to influence domestic political processes."

Putin's remarks echoed the tough anti-Western rhetoric he employed in his 2000-2008 presidency to suggest Western nations were funding Kremlin foes to try to weaken Russia and prevent its resurgence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He has turned increasingly to the same tough talk since revealing in September that he planned to swap jobs with President Dmitry Medvedev next year.

（中国日报网英语点津 Rosy 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.