Cyberattacks target Russian parliamentary elections

Russia is holding parliamentary elections for the 9th convocation of the State Duma between September 18 and 20, 2026. The process, which marks the first federal vote since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is being held across 11 time zones with the ruling United Russia party expected to maintain control. Most anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballot, including the Yabloko party, which the Supreme Court barred over alleged electoral rule violations.

During the voting period, Russian authorities reported significant cyberattacks targeting the national electoral infrastructure and the Moscow remote electronic voting system. Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova stated that over 1,000 cyberattacks, primarily originating from abroad, were recorded. Vadim Kovalev, head of the Public Headquarters for Election Observation in Moscow, confirmed that despite these attempts, the electronic voting platform remained stable and operational throughout the duration of the voting, which concludes on Sunday.