Vedomosti and Life.ru report 80% online turnout; Novaya Gazeta Europe's guest says the Kremlin will 'draw itself 80% support'

One number, two meanings. Three of the eight reports we hold carry an 80% figure. They do not mean the same thing.

Official figures only from outlets inside Russia. Life.ru and Vedomosti carry the voting portal's count, the news that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voted online, and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's figure of more than 23,000 votes abroad. None of their reports cites an independent check.

A verdict from outside Russia. The Washington Post says the outcome for United Russia "is assured". Telex says the process is "strictly controlled" and arranged to suit the Kremlin. Neither attributes the claim to anyone.

A cyberattack with one source. Only Telex reports an attack on Russia's voting systems. It names no attacker and says voting was not disrupted.

What is not settled - The share of the whole electorate that has voted. No report we hold gives it. - Whether the online figure is accurate. It comes from the portal alone. - Who attacked the voting systems, and what they hit. - Whether monitors saw the vote. No report we hold quotes one.

Russians are electing the State Duma, the lower house of their parliament, while their country fights a war in Ukraine.

How it got here. The Duma has 450 seats and is elected every five years. The last vote was in September 2021. United Russia, the party that backs President Vladimir Putin, has held a majority in the chamber since the 2000s. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, laws against criticising the army and a widening "foreign agent" label have narrowed what opposition parties, independent media and candidates can say. Many independent Russian outlets now work from abroad. Novaya Gazeta Europe publishes from Latvia. Voting now runs over three days. Online voting was first tried in a few regions and now runs nationwide on a federal platform.

Who is involved. The Kremlin and United Russia want a large, orderly majority. The Central Election Commission and the online-voting platform publish the turnout figures. Parties such as Yabloko field opposition candidates where they are allowed to stand. Opposition figures abroad disagree on whether to vote, spoil the ballot or stay home.

What is at stake. The Duma passes the laws that fund and run the war. Critics of online voting say outside observers cannot check its counts. The authorities say it makes voting easier. That dispute is not settled, and no report we hold resolves it. Turnout and the size of the winning margin are read in Russia and abroad as signs of how far the public accepts the war.

Where it stands. Voting is under way. The only turnout figure in the reports we hold is for the online platform. It counts only people who signed up to vote online.