MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. The level of aggressive outside pressure on Russia’s presidential election was as high as never before, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said.
"The level of [outside] aggressive pressure was unprecedented. We have never experienced such a thing. There is always external pressure on elections and we are used to that because it’s always there. However, this time, the level of outside pressure on the election was as high as never before, as well as the desire to undermine and discredit the vote," she noted in remarks at the CEC information center.
Pamfilova pointed out that over 12 mln cyberattacks on the CEC’s online resources had been recorded after the start of Russia’s presidential election campaign, with the number being "150 times higher than usual." "In particular, 19,800 cases of potentially dangerous impact of high severity on the CEC website were reported from the start of the vote until 8:00 a.m. today, including ten absolutely deliberate DDoS attacks lasing 41 minutes," she specified, adding: "However, the system continued to operate normally."
According to Pamfilova, the automated state election system has been and will continue operating independently. "It is out of reach for any attacks," the CEC chairwoman emphasized.
Russia held its presidential election on March 15-17. For the first time, voting took place over a three-day period and offered the option of remote e-voting, which was available in about one-third of the country’s regions. According to the CEC’s data, incumbent head of state Vladimir Putin holds a predominating lead over his three rivals at 87.32% of the vote with 99.43% of all ballots cast now counted.