This Saturday, Russia reported “powerful” cyberattacks targeting notably the electoral system in Moscow, on the second day of parliamentary elections that are expected, unsurprisingly, to be won by United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin.
These parliamentary elections, the first held since the start of Russia’s large-scale military offensive against Ukraine in 2022, aim to renew the 450 seats in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, and are taking place also in the eastern territories of Ukraine occupied and annexed by Russia.
The outcome of the vote is hardly in doubt in a country where dissent is severely repressed by authorities and where the only party openly opposed to the war, Yabloko, has been excluded.
In Moscow, where voters can vote online, as in about thirty other Russian regions, “throughout the night, literally without interruption, the electoral system suffered a very powerful cyberattack,” said on Saturday the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, cited by Russian news agencies.
According to her, this attack “massive and intense” is practically ongoing almost all the time. However, “the situation is under control and the security of the system allows the vote to continue uninterrupted,” she assured.
Facing United Russia, the ruling party, only formations that support Vladimir Putin and the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine – the Communist Party (KPRF), the LDPR nationalists, Just Russia — Fair Russia, and the liberals of the New People party – were allowed to compete.
In front of a Moscow theater, transformed into a polling station in the heart of the capital, Tatiana, a 71-year-old retiree who did not provide her name, told AFP that she had voted for United Russia, Vladimir Putin’s party.
“It’s the largest party, the most hardworking and the one that produces the most results,” she said.
Diana, 30, for her part voted for the New People party, hoping that this formation would give greater attention to economic issues in a country targeted by multiple Western sanctions and regular Ukrainian strikes.
“Many people have lost their jobs. Wages are now down, not up,” she laments, also stating that she desires peace with Ukraine.
“But given all this, it seems to me that the war will not end soon,” added the young woman who asked to remain anonymous.
The poll, which began Friday morning, will run until Sunday 18:00 GMT and the first results are expected in the wake.
