Russia says election system faces large-scale attack during parliamentary vote

Russian election officials on Saturday said they were facing a “large-scale” attempt to attack the country’s electoral system during a three-day parliamentary vote but insisted the situation was under control.

Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova said the attacks included attempts to compromise information systems connected to the elections and threats against election officials. Authorities were prepared for any further attacks, she said, and had fought back several.

“We have been dealing with this for years, but what is happening now is difficult to compare with anything in terms of the intensity, volume and speed of the various attacks,” Pamfilova said earlier this week, according to Interfax.

Claims of a breach of the state-run “Vybory” election system have also been denied by Russian authorities, who called them a planned provocation. The system was autonomous and highly protected, Pamfilova said, according to Interfax.

The parliamentary election, the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, began Friday and runs through Sunday. More than 111 million voters are eligible and electronic voting is available.