On the second day of Russia’s State Duma election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported ‘powerful’ and non-stop cyberattacks on Moscow’s electronic voting system. Ella Pamfilova, head of the CEC, said the attacks continued all night and were still ongoing. ‘This attack is ongoing — it is happening practically non-stop,’ she told reporters on Saturday morning, as cited by state media and Al Jazeera.

Attack Details and Response

Pamfilova said the system remained operational despite the ‘very large-scale and intense’ attack. The Russian digital ministry also reported a sabotage attempt on communication lines in the country’s Far East, which it said had been thwarted and fully restored. However, the CEC did not provide details on the nature of the attacks or who was responsible.

President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of trying to ‘hinder’ the vote, a claim Kyiv has not yet responded to — Ukraine has previously dismissed the election as a ‘farcical’ exercise. Amid the election, more than 350 Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow on Friday morning, according to the city’s mayor, suggesting that Kyiv may be using air attacks to influence public perception of the war’s impact on Russia.

Election Context and Political Climate

The election, which will determine all 450 seats in Russia’s lower house, is the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022; the pro-Putin United Russia party is expected to maintain its dominance in the tightly controlled political system. Most antiwar candidates were excluded from the ballot after the Supreme Court ruled last month that the liberal Yabloko party had breached electoral rules, a claim the party has denied.

With the vote seen as a potential measure of public support for the war in Ukraine, Pamfilova also warned about the risk of deepfake videos during the vote count, according to Radio Free Europe. As of 14:00 local time on Saturday (11:00 GMT), nationwide turnout stood at 32.58 percent, according to state media citing CEC data.

International Reporting and Verification

While Russia reported the cyberattacks as an established fact, independent verification remains unclear. According to an analysis by newscord.org, 7 out of 8 outlets omitted details on the confirmation of the attacks, with Radio Free Europe emphasizing the lack of independent confirmation. Arab News and most other outlets aligned with the official Russian claim.

The election is expected to run until 18:00 GMT on Sunday, and As the vote continues, the focus remains on whether the reported cyberattacks will affect the outcome or public confidence in the electoral process.