{
  "id": 9520133,
  "title": "Russia’s Communist Party says half a million votes were ‘stolen’ from it in one region. At one polling station, cameras allegedly caught ballots being swapped overnight.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/russias-communist-party-says-half-a-million-votes-were-stolen-from-it",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T08:19:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/24/russia-s-communist-party-says-half-a-million-votes-were-stolen-from-it-in-one-region-at-one-polling-station-cameras-allegedly-caught-ballots-being-swapped-overnight"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian Communist Party officials allege that half a million votes were falsified in Krasnodar Krai during the September 18-20 State Duma elections. According to Alexander Safronov, secretary of the Krasnodar regional committee of Russia’s Communist Party, ballots cast in the first days of voting were allegedly kept in secure containers and not immediately tallied. Camera footage from a polling station in Yubileiny neighborhood shows a ballot swap overnight. The safe's seal was found to be forged, leading to the annulment of those ballots. As a result, the KPRF received 41.5% of the party-list vote at that precinct, compared to 19.8% for United Russia and 19.1% for New People. The Central Election Commission reports United Russia secured approximately 60% of the federal party-list vote in Krasnodar Krai, while the KPRF, coming in second, received about 16%.",
  "summary": "Alexander Safronov, secretary of the Krasnodar regional committee of Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF), said widespread fraud marred elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, held September 18–20.",
  "key_points": [
    "Half a million votes allegedly stolen in Krasnodar Krai elections",
    "Camera footage shows ballot swap at Yubileiny polling station",
    "KPRF gains 41.5% in affected precinct, United Russia leads"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Fire breaks out at a facility in Russia's Krasnodar region as result of drone attack, authorities says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/fire-breaks-out-at-a-facility-in-russias-krasnodar-region-as-result",
        "published": "2026-09-24T06:10:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Ukrainian drones strike Russia’s Rostov region and Krasnodar Krai, damaging oil depot and industrial facility",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/ukrainian-drones-strike-russias-rostov-region-and-krasnodar-krai",
        "published": "2026-09-24T07:37:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}