Russia’s governing party has been hit by a cyber attack as the country’s presidential elections, in which Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win, heads into a second day.

United Russia said it was facing a widespread denial of service attack - a form of cyberattack that snarls internet use - against its online presence, and had suspended non-essential services to repel the attack.

Putin, who is running in Russia’s presidential election as an independent candidate with United Russia’s support, has accused Ukraine of seeking to sabotage the polls. He is almost certain to extend his 24-year-rule until at least 2030.

It marks the first presidential elections in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and while Putin faces no meaningful opposition, there have already been incidents of arson at polling stations and voters sabotaging ballot boxes recorded across five regions.

Russia’s electoral commission on Friday reported that it had faced more than 10,500 cyber-attacks in the first day of voting, and a key government website used for online voting was unavailable in some Russian regions for much of the day.

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