The National Guard created in Russia can be involved, among other things, in suppressing illegal protests. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters about this on Tuesday, Interfax reports .

“Illegal, we can assume that of course,” Peskov said, answering the question whether the National Guard will be involved in maintaining order at protests.

The Kremlin representative emphasized that “including [the National Guard] will now be responsible for order at protest rallies, since the decree states: participation together with internal affairs bodies in the protection of public order.”

When asked whether the creation of the National Guard is a proactive step in order to “prepare for some kind of rallies,” Peskov answered in the negative.

In addition, Peskov said that the creation of the National Guard is not related to the upcoming electoral cycle. “I’ve pretty much already answered that question with ‘no,’” he said.

Earlier on April 5, at a meeting with the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Drug Control Service and the commander of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of the National Guard on the basis of the internal troops. According to the head of state, this will be an executive body whose tasks will include the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

was appointed head of the National Guard . The commander of the internal troops, General Viktor Zolotov, who until 2013 headed the Presidential Security Service,

The Kremlin allowed the participation of the National Guard in suppressing illegal protests