Russia reports cyber attacks on voting system during parliamentary election

Russian authorities have reported multiple cyber attacks on its voting systems as Russians vote in its parliamentary election.

Voting in Russia's parliamentary election runs from September 18 to 20.

The Kremlin is likely to cite the election result as evidence of widespread public support for Mr Putin's policies, in particular the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities have reported multiple attacks on voting systems and communication lines across the country, as Russians head to the polls in a three-day parliamentary election.

The online voting system in Moscow was subjected to a strong attack overnight, but the situation remains under control, the Interfax news agency cited the Central Election Commission's head as saying on Saturday.

The attacks were continuing, but all were being successfully repelled, Ella Pamfilova said, according to state media.

Separately, Russia's digital ministry said it had registered a sabotage attempt on communication lines in the country's Far East, but that the attack had been thwarted and all communication had been restored, state media reported.

President Vladimir Putin earlier accused Ukraine of trying to interfere with the vote, without providing evidence.

Voting in Russia's parliamentary election runs from September 18 to 20.

Russia's parliamentary election has triggered a diplomatic row with Moldova over plans to open polling stations for Russian nationals in the separatist Transnistria region.

Moscow says 220,000 residents of pro-Russian Transnistria, a sliver of land which broke away from Moldova in 1990 at the end of Soviet rule, hold Russian passports and are entitled to vote on Sunday in the election for the State Duma.

Moldova's pro-Western government, which wants to join the European Union by 2030 and denounces the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, says Russians may vote only in a single polling station in the Russian embassy in the capital Chisinau.

It contests the 220,000 figure and opposes any polling station in Transnistria, where it has no control over procedures.

Moldovan authorities this week denounced the Kremlin's 15 planned polling stations as "unacceptable and hostile" and summoned Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov to the foreign ministry.