According to Alena Bulgakova, the Executive Director of Association "Independent Public Monitoring" (NOM), denial-of-service attacks (DoS attacks) against the voting system were detected for two consecutive days of Russia's State Duma elections. However, the SIK insisted that the cyber-attacks did not affect the work of the Russia's Central Election Commission.
Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Russian State Duma elections 2021 were held in a new format for the first time, lasting three days, from September 17 to 19.
In addition to the polling stations, Russian voters in seven regions, including Moscow, had the right to vote online.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin cast their ballots online, calling on voters to take part in the election.
Voters simultaneously elected regional parliaments in 39 out of Russia's 85 regions, governors in nine regions (three more governors will be indirectly elected by regional parliaments), and local councils in hundreds of towns and cities.
Meanwhile, observers from the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) said that no violations have been recorded in the Russian State Duma elections so far; the elections are held in a transparent manner.
The Russian Federation Council's Interim Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty and Prevention of Interference in the country’s Internal Affairs warned that there may be cases where foreign observers “seek to discredit the election” in Russia.
