Hacker attack on Putin’s party
Shelling on Belgorod accompanies second voting day in Russia
March 16, 2024, 10:27 a.m
Ukraine appears to be continuing its attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region. The local governor speaks of two deaths from rocket fire. Meanwhile, the domestic secret service FSB claims to have foiled a “terrorist attack”.
The border region of Belgorod also reported shelling on the second day of the much-criticized Russian presidential election. Two people were killed in a Ukrainian rocket attack on the Russian border town of Belgorod, the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported. Three others were injured. The Russian Defense Ministry also spoke of rocket attacks and said that all eight projectiles had been repelled.
In addition, five people were injured by drone attacks, Governor Gladkow wrote on Telegram that night. Air raid sirens can be heard on videos on social networks. Photos show fires and damage to buildings. In the past few days there had been attacks in Belgorod claimed by Russian paramilitaries fighting on the Ukrainian side.
Far from the front, there was a fire in an oil refinery in the Russian region of Samara on the Volga. No official cause of the fire was initially given. Two refineries were attacked, local governor Dmitry Azarov wrote on Telegram. Nobody was injured. The workers at both refineries were evacuated. Footage circulated on social media purporting to show the fire at the Rosneft Group’s Syzran refinery. Emergency services are on duty, Russian media reported.
Party website hacked
The United Russia party, which supports Russian President Vladimir Putin, also reported a hacker attack on its website. The party said it was the target of a “denial of service” attack that paralyzed its online presence. All non-essential services have been suspended. Putin has accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the election.
Furthermore, according to a report by the Russian news agency TASS, the Russian domestic secret service FSB is said to have arrested a suspected agent in the service of Ukraine. The 61-year-old Russian man planned a “terrorist attack” on a railway junction in the Sverdlovsk region in the Ural Mountains.
The Russian presidential election, scheduled for March 15-17, is intended to secure Kremlin leader Putin’s fifth term in office and is described by experts as a complete farce. Not only has not a single serious opposition member been admitted. Observers also point to mass electoral fraud and the sham votes that Moscow is illegally organizing in occupied Ukrainian territories.