Russia claims cyberattacks on voting systems during parliamentary election
It is Russia's first parliamentary election since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On September 19, Russia asserted that its electronic voting systems and communications infrastructure were targeted during the country's three-day parliamentary election. The voting process commenced on September 18 and concluded on September 20, marking Russia's initial parliamentary election since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The United Russia party, which aligns with the Kremlin, maintains its supremacy in the lower house of parliament.
Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, reported that Moscow's online voting system had endured a significant cyberattack overnight. However, she affirmed that efforts to impede the proceedings were being thwarted. Simultaneously, Moscow Oblast faced a substantial drone assault, with Russian air defenses eliminating 249 drones overnight on September 20, according to local authorities. These reported incidents have not been independently corroborated.
In addition, Russia's Digital Ministry disclosed an attempted sabotage against communications infrastructure in the Far East. The attempt was thwarted, and communications were swiftly restored without disrupting the voting process. For the first time in a Russian parliamentary election, Moscow is also managing voting in the occupied regions of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, territories Russia declared annexed in 2022, despite lacking full control over them.
Russian authorities estimate that over 3.5 million eligible voters reside in these four occupied regions. Voting commenced ahead of the nationwide election due to security concerns, as Russia cited them for extending the voting schedule.
President Vladimir Putin had previously accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with the election, without substantiating his claims. Russian election officials reported a turnout of approximately 45% nationwide by the morning of September 20. The vote is unfolding amidst stringent limitations on political opposition. Following a legal challenge to its registration, Russia's Supreme Court removed the liberal Yabloko party from the nationwide party ballot in August.
Yabloko is the sole registered Russian party that openly opposes the war against Ukraine, although some of its candidates remain in individual constituency races. Ukraine has denounced the organization of Russian elections in occupied Ukrainian territory as illegal, while human rights activists have reported pressure on residents to participate, including instances where election officials were accompanied by armed personnel.
The European Union has announced that it will not acknowledge the election results from Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories, labeling the voting there as a violation of international law.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
