The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says it may not send observers to the December parliamentary election in Russia.
The announcement by the main election watchdog comes as Russia decided to cut the number of monitors from 1,100 to 400.
The organisation calls the step unprecedented and says it would seriously effect monitoring.
Russia says the number is enough, arguing that even smaller delegations were sent to the U.S., Poland and the Baltic countries.
Russia sent its first invitations to monitors on Wednesday. ( RT )