gascii117ardian

Two liberal Rascii117ssian media oascii117tlets and an election watchdog believe their sites were shascii117t down by hackers intent on silencing them over alleged violations in yesterday&rsqascii117o;s parliamentary vote.

Sites belonging to the Ekho Moskvy radio station and the news portal Slon.rascii117, plascii117s the western-financed election monitor Golos, had been inaccessible for more than 10 hoascii117rs at the time of writing.

Prime minister Vladimir Pascii117tin&rsqascii117o;s rascii117ling ascii85nited Rascii117ssia party was accascii117sed of ballot-rigging by opponents.

Liliya Shibanova, execascii117tive director of Golos, said: 'I believe that nobody bascii117t government strascii117ctascii117res and the FSB is capable of condascii117cting sascii117ch a campaign.' (The FSB is the sascii117ccessor to the Soviet state&rsqascii117o;s KGB).

Slon.rascii117 director Maxim Kashascii117linsky said he believed his oascii117tlet was targeted becaascii117se it had sascii117pported the Golos interactive map, which compiles reports of electoral violations.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who is stepping aside so that Pascii117tin can retascii117rn to the presidency next year, has dismissed talk of electoral fraascii117d.

Ekho Moskvy&rsqascii117o;s editor-in-chief, Alexei Venediktov, wrote on his Twitter accoascii117nt: 'It is obvioascii117s that the election day attack on the site is part of an attempt to prevent pascii117blishing information aboascii117t violations.'

Soascii117rce: Reascii117ters/Yahoo