Russia reports thousands of cyberattacks on election infrastructure during vote

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party secured a record-breaking 355 seats in Russia's 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament in the election, according to preliminary results announced by electoral chief Ella Pamfilova on Monday. The presidential party is set to achieve a supermajority of seats, surpassing its previous 2016 record of 343 seats.

This marks the first parliamentary election in Russia since the country's military intervention in Ukraine in 2022. The Kremlin maintains tight control over the electoral process, and Moscow has banned any criticism of the ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Pamfilova reported a turnout exceeding 59%, expressing gratitude to Russians for participating in the vote despite what she described as "psychological pressure" on the nation.

The second-place finisher was the Russian Communist party, which garnered 40 seats. The nationalist LDPR party claimed 25 seats, while the New People party secured 20 seats. United Russia has held political dominance since the early 2000s, with Putin in power since New Year's Eve in 1999. Pamfilova disclosed that over 95% of the votes have been counted so far, with the final results expected to be announced later in the week.