Russia says Moscow electronic voting hit by powerful cyberattacks on second day of parliamentary vote

Russia said its electronic voting system in Moscow was hit by powerful cyberattacks overnight as parliamentary elections entered their second day. Ella Pamfilova, who chairs the Central Election Commission, said the attack was continuing and described it as continuous through the night. She did not provide details on the nature of the intrusion or identify who was responsible.

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The vote is for all 450 seats in the State Duma and is due to run until Sunday evening. Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of trying to hinder the ballot, although Kyiv has not responded to that allegation. Ukraine has described the election as farcical, while voting is also taking place in areas of east Ukraine under Russian occupation.

The reported attack adds to concerns about election security in a vote already taking place under tight Kremlin control. Only parties that support Mr Putin and the Kremlin's military campaign have been registered to run, and the result is widely expected to deliver another victory for United Russia. The incident also highlights the importance of Moscow's online voting system, which is a significant part of participation in the capital.

What remains unclear is whether the cyberattacks affected turnout, delayed voting, or disrupted the integrity of the electronic system beyond Moscow. It is also not known whether officials will provide further technical details or attribution as the ballot continues. The main developments to watch are whether the attack persists through the final day of voting and whether any wider election systems are affected.

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Russia's legislative elections were hit by a hacker intrusion, with officials saying the online voting system in Moscow came under a strong attack overnight. Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, said the situation was brought under control and that the attacks were continuing but being repelled successfully. The incident adds a cyber-security dimension to a three-day parliamentary vote already taking place under wartime conditions.

The election began on Friday and is Russia's first parliamentary vote since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Voting is being held across the country's 11 time zones and also in occupied parts of Ukraine, where polling has been reported under armed guard. The Kremlin is expected to secure another victory through United Russia, but the scale of support and the conduct of the vote are being closely watched.

The reported cyberattack matters because it targets a key part of the voting process in the capital, where online participation is an important feature of the election. It also comes as Russia faces continuing cross-border pressure during the war, including drone activity reported by Moscow authorities on the first day of voting. That combination of cyber and physical disruption underlines how the conflict is shaping the political environment around the ballot.

The supplied reporting says the vote is being used by the Kremlin to measure public backing for the war in Ukraine, even though open political competition is limited. Only parties that support the war have been allowed to run, while Yabloko, the only party opposing the conflict, was barred in August. The inclusion of occupied Ukrainian territory in the ballot further ties the parliamentary process to Moscow's wider wartime strategy.

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What remains unclear is the scale of the attempted intrusion, whether any voters were affected, and whether the online system will face further disruption before polls close. It is also not yet clear whether the attack will have any impact on turnout or on the final presentation of the result. The main developments to watch are whether officials report additional cyber incidents and whether voting proceeds normally through the end of the three-day ballot.

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