As Russian citizens cast ballots in parliamentary elections, the digital architecture supporting that democratic ritual came under cyberattack — a reminder that the machinery of modern governance is never more vulnerable than when it is most needed. Authorities acknowledged the intrusions while revealing little about their origin, scope, or consequence, leaving the full meaning of the incident suspended between threat and harm. The episode joins a growing global pattern in which elections, once contested only by candidates, are now contested by unseen actors in the invisible corridors of netwo