Russian Authorities Claim Online Voting System Under Attack Amid Suppression of Opposition
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Russia's election commission reported cyber attacks on Moscow's online voting platform and communication lines in the Far East during the parliamentary vote, as the government continues to stifle dissent and limit democratic participation.
Russian authorities announced that the online voting system in Moscow was targeted by a cyber attack on Saturday, during the second day of the parliamentary election running from September 18 to 20. The Central Election Commission (CEC) claimed the attack was ongoing but being repelled, while the digital ministry reported a sabotage attempt on communication lines in the Far East, asserting that services had been restored.
This State Duma election, the first since Russia's brutal escalation of war in Ukraine, is widely expected to cement the grip of the ruling United Russia party, notorious for its suppression of opposition voices. The Supreme Court recently banned the liberal Yabloko party from the ballot, a move emblematic of the regime's intolerance for dissent, though a handful of its candidates remain in single-member constituencies.
President Vladimir Putin, continuing his pattern of scapegoating external actors, accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with the vote, but, as usual, provided no evidence. By 1400 local time on Saturday, the CEC reported a nationwide voter turnout of 32.58 percent, a figure that raises questions about the legitimacy of the process amid widespread apathy and fear.
In Moldova’s breakaway Transdniestria region, Moscow’s plan to open 15 polling stations for Russian citizens provoked a diplomatic dispute with Chisinau, which objected to Russia’s interference in its internal affairs.