During the elections in the Russian Federation, internet shutdowns are being considered; pressure on state employees and observers is reported

During the three-day voting for the State Duma and regional authorities in Russia, interruptions in mobile communications and internet are possible. The Russian Central Election Commission has already prepared backup channels for access to election systems. At the same time, independent Russian media report pressure on public sector employees and observers in several regions.

Voting is taking place from September 18 to 20. On the eve of its start, CEC chairperson Ella Pamfilova stated that interruptions in mobile communications and data transmission are possible in certain regions. According to her, this will not be grounds for suspending remote electronic voting.

For the operation of election services, the CEC has organized additional Wi-Fi access points and included necessary resources in so-called "white lists" that should remain accessible during mobile internet restrictions. Earlier, Pamfilova linked possible communication restrictions in regions to security measures.

Meanwhile, independent Russian media report complaints about the organization of voting. "Important Stories" report cases of pressure on public sector workers in Altai Krai, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Belgorod, and Samara regions. According to the outlet, in Altai Krai, public sector employees were demanded to report on voting for "United Russia".

There, the local branch of the Communist Party stated that some residents were added to home voting lists without submitted applications. Activists claim that during verification, some people on the lists said they had not requested home voting. It is impossible to independently verify each of these cases.

Certain problems arose with observers. In Voronezh and several districts of the region, several hundred representatives of the parliamentary opposition were denied access to polling stations. "Verstka", citing sources in the election system and parties, reported that approximately 400 observers from the Communist Party were affected; the reason given for refusals was flaws in documents. As a result, according to the outlet, at some polling stations, voting was observed mainly by representatives of "United Russia" and the regional Public Chamber.

Thus, the State Duma elections began amid preparations by the authorities for possible communication restrictions and numerous reports of pressure and obstacles to observation in certain regions. At the same time, the official CEC of Russia declares the system is ready for voting and provides backup mechanisms in case of communication problems.

Based on materials from: Important Stories, Verstka