MOSCOW -- Suspected hackers shut down several Russian websites that provide independent election data, making state-controlled media one of the few widely accessible sources of information about today's parliamentary vote.



The website of Golos, the last remaining independent election-monitoring group based in Russia, was shut down early today. That group is partially financed by the European Commission.



Also targeted were the websites of the Kremlin-critical Ekho Moskvy radio station, the "Moscow New Times," the weekly magazine "Bolshoi Gorod," and the news websites slon.ru and publicpost.ru.



RFE/RL's Russian-language website has not been affected by the apparent denial-of-service hacker attacks.