Russia’s Electoral Commission reports more than 1,000 DDoS attacks on infrastructure involved in the parliamentary elections

Russia’s Electoral Commission announced that infrastructure involved in the parliamentary elections was targeted by more than 1,000 cyberattacks during the vote, which also took place electronically in approximately 30 regions.

Electoral Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said the attacks were DDoS attacks aimed at overwhelming systems by sending a very large number of requests. According to the official, the attacks were launched by “extremely professional and well-coordinated” groups that allegedly used artificial intelligence tools.

Pamfilova claimed that the attacks originated largely from abroad. She also mentioned targeted attempts against Russia’s telecommunications infrastructure, which she said bore “all the hallmarks of Ukrainian interference.” The statement was not accompanied, according to the available information, by additional public evidence.

Russian electoral authorities had reported as early as Saturday, the second day of the vote, that the electronic voting system had been targeted by a “very powerful cyberattack” that allegedly continued throughout the day. The Electoral Commission did not specify whether the attacks affected the conduct of the vote or the counting of the results.