Russia Claims Cyberattacks Hit Online Voting in Parliamentary Election

Russian authorities reported powerful cyberattacks targeting Moscow's remote electronic voting system during the country's three-day parliamentary election, claiming the incidents were repelled without disrupting the vote. The claims, made by Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova, have not been independently verified. Pamfilova stated that a massive and intense cyberattack targeted Moscow's electronic voting system overnight from September 19 to 20, continuing into the morning. She maintained that the system operated normally and the election process was not interrupted. Moscow City Election Commission head Olga Kirillova also reported increased cyberattacks, saying technical teams were working around the clock to counter them. Russia's Ministry of Digital Development separately reported an attempted sabotage on communication lines in the country's Far East, which it said was thwarted and did not disrupt voting. No evidence was provided to link any party to the reported incidents. The election is Russia's first parliamentary vote since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.