Voting system hit by cyberattack during Russian poll

Moscow's online voting system has been subjected to a strong cyberattack attack during Russia's parliamentary election, but the situation remains under control, the Central Election Commission's head says.

The attacks on the system in Moscow were continuing on Saturday but all were being successfully repelled, Ella Pamfilova said, according to Interfax news agency.

Moscow is among the regions where voters can cast ballots electronically, with the Russian capital offering both online voting and electronic voting terminals at polling stations.

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

Russians began voting on Friday in a three-day parliamentary election that finishes on Sunday.

To help boost turnout, balloting actually has been underway in the annexed parts of Ukraine and some areas on the Russian side of the border since the end of last month. Officials cited security reasons for the extended period.

Russian authorities say the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories, often referred to by Moscow officials as the "new regions," have over 3.5 million voters. They were annexed by Russia in September 2022, despite not fully being under Moscow's control. The move has not been recognised internationally.

At one polling station in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region, voters dropped their ballots in a box as an armed Russian soldier stood nearby and watched.

In a speech this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the importance of balloting in those regions for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. Residents there will be voting for the Duma "for the first time since their reunification with Russia."

Voting also is taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

The first wartime election to the State Duma is intended to secure the Kremlin's political dominance and showcase public support for the war.

"Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland and that nobody can divide or intimidate us, undermine our statehood and political system," Putin said.

Putin previously accused Ukraine of trying to interfere with the vote, without providing evidence.

Authorities in Kyiv called the voting in those territories illegal and urged foreign governments and international organisations not to recognise the election. They warned Ukrainians that taking part in organising the vote could carry criminal liability.