Russian authorities have reported what they described as “powerful” cyberattacks targeting the country’s electronic voting system and communication networks as parliamentary elections entered their second day.
The Moscow electronic voting system was reportedly hit by a major cyberattack overnight from Friday into Saturday, with the attack continuing throughout Saturday, according to Interfax.
Russian Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said the attack was “very large-scale and intense,” but insisted that the electronic voting system remained operational. She did not provide details about the attackers or their motives.
The three-day election, which will determine all 450 seats in Russia’s State Duma, is scheduled to end at 18:00 GMT on Sunday.
The election is the first parliamentary vote since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ruling United Russia party is widely expected to retain its dominance, while several anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballot.
President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the election, although Kyiv has not responded to the allegation and has described the vote as a farce.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 350 Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital on Friday morning.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission data cited by state media, nationwide voter turnout stood at 32.58 percent by 14:00 local time on Saturday.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the turnout demonstrated active participation by Russian voters despite what she described as physical threats and cyberattacks.
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