Russian electoral authorities reported on Saturday that Moscow's electronic voting system and communications lines in the Far East suffered sustained cyberattacks during the second day of parliamentary voting.
Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova stated that the capital's digital election platform faced powerful and continuous overnight intrusion attempts that officials successfully repelled. Russia's digital ministry also reported thwarting a sabotage attempt against communications networks in the country's eastern territories, claiming that full operational capacity had been restored. The three-day election for all 450 seats in the State Duma marks the country's first parliamentary ballot since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Most prominent anti-war candidates and independent opposition parties were disqualified from the ballot ahead of the vote, virtually guaranteeing continued legislative control by the ruling United Russia party. President Vladimir Putin accused foreign entities and Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the democratic process, while independent observers and Western governments characterized the election as tightly controlled.