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.
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