The chairwoman of Moscow's election authority said she
was still in pain on Friday after being attacked overnight by a home
intruder with an electric shocker.
As the head of Russia's Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova
was responsible for rejecting several opposition candidates from this
upcoming Sunday's city council elections.
The rejections, based on technicalities such as unapproved
signatures, have incited a wave of protests in the Russian capital in
recent weeks.
A masked intruder entered Pamfilova's home in the Moscow region
through a window overnight to Friday and attacked her "repeatedly"
with an electric shocker before fleeing the scene, Russia's Interior
Ministry said in a statement.
Pamfilova told state media that part of her hand was injured in the
attack.
"There is still physical pain," she said in comments carried
by broadcaster Rossiya-24.
A search is under way for the attacker.
Russia's highest
investigative agency said the attack could have been linked to
Pamfilova's work.
"Investigators will thoroughly examine each possible scenario for the
committed crime, including an attack in connection with professional
activity," the federal Investigative Committee said in a statement.
Both the Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry initially
considered the attack an attempted robbery.
The charge named by the
Interior Ministry is punishable by up to 12 years in prison.
Russian state media reported that nothing was stolen from the home.
The Russian news agency Interfax reported that Pamfilova was
"healthy" following the incident and participated in a conference in
Moscow on Friday.
About 2,000 people have been detained during the wave of protests,
with numerous opposition supporters accusing police of a heavy-handed
approach.
Videos circulated on the internet appeared to show police repeatedly
clubbing protesters being detained.
Head of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova speaks during a news conference on the preliminary results of a parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia on September 19, 2016.