Russian authorities reported significant cyberattacks targeting the nation's voting systems and communication lines on the second day of a three-day parliamentary election. Moscow's electronic voting system experienced a "very powerful attack, literally non-stop, all night long," according to Ella Pamfilova, head of the Russian Central Election Commission.

The cyberattack began overnight between Friday and Saturday and continued into Saturday, with Pamfilova describing it as "very large-scale and intense," primarily targeting Moscow. Despite the intensity of the attack, she stated that the electronic voting system remained operational and did not provide further details on its nature or the perpetrators.

The election, which concludes on Sunday, is for all 450 seats in Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament. This marks the first parliamentary election since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and is widely anticipated to reinforce the dominance of the ruling pro-Putin United Russia party.

Many candidates critical of the war in Ukraine were barred from the ballot. The liberal Yabloko party, which advocates for a ceasefire in Ukraine, was disqualified last month after a Supreme Court ruling found it had violated electoral rules, a decision the party denies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of attempting to "hinder" the vote, an allegation Ukraine has not officially responded to, having previously described the election as a "farce."

In parallel, Moscow's mayor reported that over 350 Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital on Friday morning. This suggests Ukraine's continued effort to politically, socially, and economically impact Russians by making them feel the conflict's effects.

Nationwide turnout reached 32.58 percent by Saturday afternoon, according to data cited by state media from the Central Election Commission. The election is seen by some as a gauge of public sentiment regarding the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Further analysis of the election's outcome and the implications of the cyberattacks are expected as the voting period concludes.