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A group called CikLeak says it hacked into computers tied to Russia’s election commission.
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The group claims it took secret files, passwords, and computer code from election workers.
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Russia holds its parliament vote this week, right after officials called the system unhackable.
A group of hackers made a bold claim just two days before Russia’s parliament election. The group calls itself CikLeak. They say they broke into computer systems used by Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC). They also claim they hacked into companies that help run the country’s new voting system, called GAS Elections 2.0.
The Hackers’ Claims
CikLeak posted its claims on September 16, according to news reportsa from Meduza. The group says it grabbed private files from inside the system. This includes messages between workers, notes from meetings, computer settings, passwords, and even source code (the instructions that make the software run).
CikLeak also claims it reached systems tied to Tsifrotekh. This company is a smaller part of Rostelecom, a large telecom firm. Tsifrotekh helped build the new GAS Elections 2.0 system.
Cyberattacks involving Russian infrastructure have also appeared in other reported cases. In a separate incident, leaked files allegedly revealed China-Russia cyberattack plans targeting the Starlink network, raising questions about how state-linked actors could target critical communications systems.
An independent news group called Important Stories looked into some of the leaked files. They said the files the hackers shared appeared to be real. Still, this does not prove every part of what CikLeak says about how deep their access went.
CikLeak insists it did not touch the vote itself. The group says it never changed any results. Instead, they say they wanted to show people how Russia’s voting system works behind the scenes. They also built a small game using real screens from the voting system. In the game, a player pretends to be an election worker who changes vote counts.
This timing matters a lot. GAS Elections 2.0 is being used for the very first time in a big national vote. The system started running in early 2026. It replaced an older system that Russia had used since the late 1990s. Russians will vote for their parliament from September 18 to 20, according to a Reuters report.
Officials Once Called the System Safe
This story brings back attention to something the head of Russia’s election commission said in August. Ella Pamfilova leads the CEC. She said hackers could never break into the GAS Elections system. She explained that the system stays cut off from the public internet, which she said keeps it safe from attacks. Russian news outlets reported her comments at the time.
Now, many people are asking if her claim still holds up. The hackers’ new story raises fresh doubts about how strong the system’s defenses really are, even though nobody has proven the vote count itself was touched.
People React Online
News of the alleged hack spread fast on X (formerly known as Twitter). Many users shared their thoughts and doubts. The account @IntCyberDigest described what the hackers claim to have taken. This includes technical details that could matter to security experts.
Other users focused on what this could mean going forward. The user @Zenul_Abidin suggested that another election controversy might be starting. Meanwhile, @shellsc0pe wondered if the screens the hackers showed were even linked to the real voting system at all. Another user, @longPet73681481, brushed off the whole story, calling it fake news.
Some people doubted the hackers themselves rather than the story. The account @AntiBroadcast said the group’s actions felt like something a government might do, not random hackers. This user questioned whether CikLeak could be trusted. Other reactions stayed short. @ImposeCost simply replied with a laugh. @SAINTTLF asked what happened next.
What This Means Right Now
A data breach and election interference are two very different things. CikLeak says they did not touch any votes. So far, no report proves that the group changed any results.
Right now, the biggest concern is what this leak shows about Russia’s election system itself. The hack, if confirmed in full, would reveal how the system works from the inside. This includes details that were meant to stay hidden from the public. Important Stories plans to dig deeper into the leaked files. Their next reports should explain more about how GAS Elections 2.0 actually works, and whether the hackers’ claims match reality.
For now, most of what we know comes straight from CikLeak itself. Independent outlets like Meduza and Novaya Gazeta Europe reported the group’s claims. Important Stories says it checked the leaked archive and found it genuine. But many parts of the full story still need more proof before anyone can call them fully confirmed. Russians head to the polls this week, watching a system that just had its safety questioned in public, days before votes get cast.
