Russia reported online attacks targeting its electoral system on the second day of parliamentary voting, according to reuters.com. The reported incidents came as polls remained open across the country, the outlet said.
The same elections are being held in areas Russia seized from Ukraine during the war, NPR reported. That decision has drawn international criticism, though the reporting summarized here does not include further detail on the response.
Voting is also proceeding without a genuine opposition presence, according to CNN, which described empty podiums, incentives tied to electronic voting, and the absence of opposition candidates as Russians cast ballots while the war in Ukraine continues. The Washington Post reported that the outcome of the election is widely predictable even as much else in the country remains uncertain.
The New York Times reported that the Kremlin placed a large number of veterans on the ballot, raising the question of whether that strategy could produce unintended consequences.
Taken together, the coverage points to an election whose result is not in doubt, held under wartime conditions and in territory whose status is disputed. The reported cyberattacks add a further element of disruption to a vote already unfolding under unusual circumstances.
What to watch next: whether Russian authorities release more details about the online attacks, and how the results from the seized Ukrainian areas are received internationally.