Rostelecom has prepared a digital infrastructure for video surveillance on a single voting day

2024: Complete Election Video Surveillance Installation

Rostelecom"" completed the installation of funds video surveillances for the elections, which will be held from September 6 to 8, 2024. This "" was Rostelecom announced on September 5, 2024. Specialists provider installed more than 9 thousand CCTV cameras in the premises of precinct election commissions (PEC) and territorial election commissions (TEC) in 15 regions. Russia Video surveillance in elections will ensure additional openness and transparency of the entire electoral process.

source = Rostelecom

At each video surveillance facility, Rostelecom installed two compact IP cameras with a wide viewing angle and a memory card, an access switch, an anti-vandal cabinet and an uninterruptible power supply, the battery life of which is at least 20 minutes. The field of view of surveillance cameras includes the workplaces of members of election commissions with lists, voting boxes, safe packages, ballot areas and the final counting of votes. The cameras are installed in such a way as to minimize blind spots and at the same time not violate the right of voters to secrecy.

Broadcast from CCTV cameras will be conducted on a special service portal from the first day of voting until the completion of election procedures. Participants in the electoral process determined by the CEC of Russia will receive access to it. Entry to the broadcast portal is carried out through the personal account of the participant in the electoral process on Public services. The archive of videos will be kept for three months.

For collective viewing at the Public Observation Centers, Rostelecom has installed special video walls consisting of several video panels to which images from video surveillance objects will be broadcast. Voters, party representatives, candidates and journalists can observe the voting process in real time.

When organizing video surveillance, transmitting and storing video recordings, Rostelecom uses its own protected high-speed optical communication channels and data centers distributed throughout Russia. They have systems for protecting against hacker and cyber attacks, which have proven to be effective.

{{quote 'author = said Valery Ermakov, Deputy President - Chairman of the Board of Rostelecom. | The video surveillance system developed by Rostelecom has established itself as reliable and effective, having passed many years of verification at elections of different levels. Nevertheless, we have taken extra precautions to ensure that it operates smoothly even in the most unforeseen circumstances. Throughout the voting period, our specialists will continuously monitor the video surveillance system, as well as provide technical support to ensure the network is operational. Such preparation will allow us to ensure the reliable and safe operation of the video surveillance system during the entire voting period, }}

During the preparation and holding of the elections, the company's technical specialists will monitor the operation of the equipment around the clock, conduct technical support for the video surveillance portal and ensure its protection. Emergency recovery teams have also been formed to immediately leave in case of emergency situations. To support users of the service portal, Rostelecom organized a free hotline in the 8,800 code.

2023

Results of a single voting day

Rostelecom on September 19, 2023 summed up the results of the video surveillance project for a single voting day (EDG), which took place in 30 regions of Russia. 15.3 thousand IP cameras installed in the premises of territorial (TEC) and precinct election commissions (PEC) provided high quality video surveillance of the voting process and counting of votes. In total, thanks to Rostelecom's video surveillance system, 917,343 hours of broadcasts were received.

At each polling station, Rostelecom specialists installed compact video cameras with a flash card of at least 64 GB, an access switch, an anti-vandal cabinet and an uninterruptible power supply, the battery life of which is at least 20 minutes. The field of view of cameras with a wide viewing angle included the workplaces of members of election commissions with lists, voting boxes, safe packages, ballot areas and the final counting of votes. The cameras were installed in such a way as to minimize blind spots and not violate the right of voters to secrecy.

The broadcast from CCTV cameras was carried out to the special service portal "Our Choice Online" from the first voting day until the completion of all election procedures - entering data and drawing up protocols on the voting results. Access to the service portal was received by participants in the electoral process, certain - CEC of Russia only 13.7 thousand people. The archive of videos will be stored on the portal for three months.

To organize video surveillance, transmission and storage of video recordings, Rostelecom's own protected high-speed optical communication channels and seven distributed data centers with anti-security systems were used. hacker attacks

During the election period, more than three thousand technical specialists of the company monitored the operation of the equipment around the clock, conducted technical support for the video surveillance portal and ensured its protection. For their effective coordination and prompt response to emergency situations, an uninterrupted 72-hour video conference of a federal scale was organized on the video conference platform (VKS) of the TrueConf. It brought together all Rostelecom employees on duty and allowed them to remain in touch continuously for three days of voting.

TrueConf Server was used as the main VKS platform, which is optimized for fault-tolerant and uninterrupted operation even on weak communication channels. In addition, some of the company's employees connected to the conference using the Russian TrueConf Group hardware VKS terminals, which allowed them to stay at the conference without disconnecting communication throughout the entire time.

To combine all the hardware VKS terminals used for connecting, the classic TrueConf MCU VKS server was used. Thus, the organization and management of the entire video surveillance process was carried out using domestic technologies and products included in the register of domestic software.

The entire coordination process between the specialists who implemented the project was carried out using domestic technologies for three days in a continuous mode. This once again emphasizes the high level of skill of Russian engineers, as well as the reliability of domestic IT products to solve any tasks, - said Dmitry Odintsov, Development Director of TrueConf.

To support users of the Our Choice Online service portal, a free hotline was organized, the service support of which was provided by Rostelecom Contact Center. In total, 486 requests were received during the service. The support hotline will continue to work while the videos are stored.

Installation completion video surveillance system

Rostelecom on September 7, 2023 announced the completion of the installation of a video surveillance system for the elections, which will be held on a single voting day on September 10, 2023. The company's employees mounted 15,377 IP cameras in the premises of territorial (TEC) and precinct election commissions (PEC) in 30 regions of Russia.

At each polling station, Rostelecom specialists installed compact video cameras with a flash card of at least 64 GB, an access switch, an anti-vandal cabinet and an uninterruptible power supply, the battery life of which is at least 20 minutes. The field of view of cameras with a wide viewing angle includes workplaces of members of election commissions with lists, voting boxes, safe packages, ballot areas and the final counting of votes. The cameras are installed in such a way as to minimize blind spots and not violate the right of voters to secrecy.

Online broadcasting has already become an integral part of the largest state events at the federal level. Since 2012, Rostelecom has been organizing a video surveillance system for voting and counting votes at elections at all levels using digital technologies. The company's extensive experience in organizing projects of this scale allows you to ensure flawless video surveillance quality, stable operation of equipment and reliable protection against hacker attacks. Video monitoring of elections is of great importance for ensuring the openness and legitimacy of the voting process, - said Valery Ermakov, senior vice president for work with corporate and state segments of Rostelecom.

Broadcast from CCTV cameras will be conducted on the special service portal "Our Choice Online" from the first day of voting until the completion of election procedures - entering data and drawing up protocols on the results of voting. Participants in the electoral process determined by the CEC will receive access to the service portal: registered candidates, representatives, Central Election Commission of Russia election commissions of subjects, RUSSIAN FEDERATION TEC, PEC, observation centers, political parties, as well as human rights commissioners in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and representatives of the Human Rights Council. Entrance to the broadcast portal is available to participants in the electoral process in their personal account on. Public services The archive of videos will be kept for three months.

For collective viewing at 23 Public Observation Centers, Rostelecom installed video walls, each of which consists of two to 16 video panels.

To organize video surveillance, transfer and storage of video recordings, Rostelecom uses its own protected high-speed optical communication channels and seven data centers distributed throughout Russia. They have installed the latest systems of protection against hacker attacks, which have proven their effectiveness not only in previous elections, but also during the Unified State Exam.

During the preparation and holding of the elections, more than a thousand technical specialists of the company will monitor the operation of the equipment around the clock, conduct technical support for the video surveillance portal and ensure its protection. Emergency recovery teams have also been formed to immediately leave in case of emergency situations. To support users of the Rostelecom portal, it organizes a free hotline in the 8,800 code.

2021

CEC refused to broadcast video surveillance from polling stations on the Internet

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation will stop conducting Internet broadcasts from CCTV cameras at polling stations. This was announced on October 7, 2021 by the chairman of the CEC Ella Pamfilova.

We have hysterical several people that we need to take it all to the global world network. We will not do this anymore. No need to compare with 2012, when there were no such information wars and there was no such level of cyber attacks... We cannot afford, sorry, 50-60-70 million people come to the polls, all this is thrown into the global network. We cannot afford when there is a global download, - TASS quotes Pamfilova's statement at an expanded meeting of the Council for Interaction with Civil Society Institutions in the Federation Council.

CEC will not broadcast video surveillance from polling stations on the Internet

At the same time, she noted the success of the new video surveillance system - this is the best video surveillance option, taking into account measures to ensure national security and protect biometric data of citizens.

Earlier, the chairman of the CEC said that in the September 2021 elections in the Russian Federation, the video surveillance system covered all parties and public observation centers in the regions of the country. Video broadcasts were available to the Human Rights Commissioners and the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights.

The broadcasts provided for the possibility of not only viewing, but also returning to any fragment of the video recording "for the possibility of an operational reaction to violations, their suppression and elimination," Pamfilova explained.

She noted the lack of analogues in the West organized in the Russian Federation video surveillance system.

There are no analogues in the world, not a single country of the European Union, not a single country of Western Europe has any video surveillance at hand. And it will never be, because their society will not allow, will not allow, they believe that this is an interference in privacy, - said the head of the Central Berkom.[1]

An unprecedented video surveillance system is being deployed for the elections. But "sofa observers" will not be given access to it

In the upcoming elections, an unprecedented video surveillance system will be used: more than 50 thousand video cameras, 6 thousand devices with online broadcasting and 36 thousand video recording devices. This was announced on August 30, 2021 by the chairman of the CEC of Russia Ella Pamfilova at a meeting dedicated to the organization of a video surveillance system in the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the eighth convocation. The 50th ^[2] of the^[3].

In total, 96% of territorial and precinct election commissions will be covered by video surveillance, where about 98% of voters will potentially be able to vote.

At the same time, the broadcasts provide for the possibility of not only viewing, but also returning to any fragment of the video recording, − Ella Pamfilova emphasized. − In the field of view of the cameras will be all control points − stationary boxes for ballots, as well as their places of issue. Video broadcasting, video recording and recording will go on continuously for three days, about 70 hours - until the last entered protocol on the voting results.

Ella Pamfilova believes that this time an optimal video surveillance system has been created in the elections (photo - CEC of Russia)

Unlike previous elections, this time the system of online broadcasts from polling stations will not be publicly available. Pamfilova at the meeting recalled that the broadcast will be conducted on a special portal, access to which will receive only the main participants in the electoral process: candidates in single-mandate constituencies, public chambers, human rights commissioners, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation. It will be possible to get to the service portal, which will be broadcast from the polling stations, only through your personal account on the public services portal.

And of course, it will be possible to watch the broadcast in public observation centers, which are created in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In addition, access will be open to all parties, about 10 accounts per party, which will allow their representatives to organize their video surveillance headquarters, − said the chairman of the CEC of Russia.

According to Pamfilova, based on preliminary applications from the regions, it is planned to create 54,849 access accounts to the video broadcast portal, each of which provides the opportunity to monitor simultaneously at four polling stations.

In my opinion, we have created an optimal system that does not bring the privacy of citizens to the public eye, but provides targeted, qualified, substantive and total video surveillance aimed at preventing and identifying violations, at a quick, instant reaction to them, − Ella Pamfilova emphasized.

Rostelecom President Mikhail Oseevsky said at the meeting that by September 8, the installation and configuration of almost 100 thousand cameras in the areas will be completed, and by September 15, work on equipping observation centers in the regions will be completed. At the same time, an employee of Rostelecom will be in each monitoring center to provide technical support. Also during the elections, company employees will be at the headquarters of all political parties.

And Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Oleg Kachanov said that technically the Public services portal is ready for a large-scale broadcast and corresponding load.

For 14 political parties, we have identified specialists who will provide technical support. On September 16, comprehensive functional testing will take place, which should confirm the readiness of all elements of the video surveillance system for broadcast, says Kachanov. - Everything will be checked: camera angles, geometries, correctness of indication of areas, timing. Observers will check and confirm access to the cameras. After that, the video surveillance system will be ready to work.

Community Chamber Moscow Deputy Chairman Alexei Venediktov at a meeting of the CEC noted that in the capital, in particular, 97% of the plots are equipped with cameras. There is a professional surveillance area in the city. These are 50 screens on which 3,630 polling stations are distributed by constituency. There is also an area of ​ ​ "street," free video surveillance: "Admission is free around the clock. Everyone who wants to watch can come, "Venediktov added.

Recall that publicly available online broadcasts from polling stations were once introduced at the initiative of Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of protests after the 2011 Duma elections. One of the main slogans of the protesters then was "For fair elections." Putin proposed to introduce video control so that "the country sees what is happening in the elections," "at each specific box." As a result, in the elections, every citizen could watch an online broadcast from any polling station. This allowed, among other things, volunteers to track the situation in those areas where there were no observers.

The CEC previously explained the rejection of this practice by the high cost of organizing broadcasts. The head of the CEC stated that for Moscow alone, broadcasting on the Internet for three days would cost almost 1 billion rubles.

Imagine just a billion to satisfy the simple curiosity of couch watchers. A three-day broadcast throughout the country, of course, would have cost much more, - said Ella Pamfilova[4] in[5]

2020

Results of the video surveillance project on a single voting day in 83 regions of the Russian Federation

Rostelecom on September 17, 2020 summed up the results of the video surveillance project organized on a single voting day on September 13, 2020. On this day, 83 regions of Russia held almost nine thousand elections of various levels. Video surveillance of the voting and counting of votes was carried out in precinct election commissions (PECs) and the premises of territorial election commissions (TECs). This ensured the availability of information directly at the polling stations, as well as additional transparency of the electoral process.

For voting, "Rostelecom" equipped over 5,000 TECs and PECs on the territory of the Russian Federation with video surveillance equipment. In the TEC and PEC, where the voting took place, Rostelecom employees organized uninterrupted transmission data through communication channels, installing two compact IP cameras with a wide viewing angle. Voting boxes, ballot areas and the final counting of votes fell into the field of view of the cameras. All cameras were mounted taking into account the minimization of "blind" spots and installed in such a way as not to violate the secrecy of voting.

In real time, the image was broadcast from all video cameras installed by Rostelecom. Citizens of the Russian Federation could observe the process of holding elections at all levels: from the moment the polling station was opened until the counting of votes was completed and the protocols were signed on the Our Choice broadcast portal.

A special sp.nashvybor2020.ru service portal was deployed for employees of the CEC of Russia and election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, on which it was possible to track the process of setting up the video surveillance infrastructure, as well as watch the broadcast during the voting period.

"Traditionally, Rostelecom provides impeccable video surveillance quality for the voting process. We have already accumulated extensive experience in organizing projects of national scale state and importance, and we continue to improve. During the entire voting period, the company's specialists constantly monitored the video surveillance system and technical support for the network. This made it possible to ensure uninterrupted operation of the equipment and reliable protection against. hacker attacks The entire video surveillance system of Rostelecom coped well with the task: we organized an uninterrupted online broadcast of the entire voting process and the safety of video recordings, "said Rostelecom's vice president for work with corporate and state segments. Valery Ermakov

To organize video surveillance and store video recordings, Rostelecom used its own secure data network, data centers, and also deployed situation centers in each branch of the company. Over 1,500 Rostelecom employees were on duty in the situation centers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the corporate cent, and 974 mobile teams were also organized. To support portal users, a special number was organized in the 8-800 code, which received over 1,400 calls. Through the feedback form, the portal received 265 requests. CCTV footage is stored in the company's data centres for up to one year.

Results of the video surveillance project on a single voting day on amendments to the Constitution

Rostelecom on July 8, 2020 announced the results of the video surveillance project organized on a single voting day on July 1, 2020. Video surveillance of the progress of voting and counting votes in precinct election commissions (PECs) and the premises of territorial election commissions (TECs) ensured the availability of information directly at the polling station, as well as additional transparency of the process.

For voting, "Rostelecom" equipped over 6100 TECs and PECs on the territory of the Russian Federation with video surveillance equipment. A total of 9,750 cameras were installed.

In the TEC and PEC, where the voting took place, Rostelecom employees organized uninterrupted data transmission through communication channels, installing compact IP cameras with a wide viewing angle. Voting boxes, ballot areas and the final counting of votes fell into the field of view of the cameras. The cameras were mounted to minimize blind spots.

Rostelecom video cameras were also installed at polling stations in Moscow. From July 1 to July 2, the broadcast of the image from them in real time was carried out on the public voting portal vybory.mos.ru. Citizens could observe the voting process from the moment the polling station was opened until the counting of votes was completed and the protocols were signed. The number of portal users amounted to 51,640 people.

A special sp.nashvybor2020.ru service portal was deployed for employees of election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, on which it was possible to track the process of setting up the video surveillance infrastructure, as well as watch the broadcast during the voting period.

For many years, Rostelecom has been implementing important state projects, including video surveillance in the presidential elections to the State Duma, during the Unified State Exam. This year we organized video surveillance at the vote on amendments to the Constitution. The technical implementation of video surveillance is one of the most important factors in ensuring the legitimacy of the entire electoral process, - said Valery Ermakov, vice president of Rostelecom for work with corporate and state segments.

To organize video surveillance and store video recordings, Rostelecom used its own secure data network. CCTV footage is stored in the company's data centres for up to one year.

2019: Results of the video surveillance project on a single voting day in 16 regions of the Russian Federation

On September 11, 2019, Rostelecom summed up the results of a video surveillance project organized on a single voting day on September 8, 2019. Video surveillance of the progress of voting and counting votes in precinct election commissions (PECs) and the premises of territorial election commissions (TECs) ensured the availability of information on the progress of voting directly at the polling station, as well as additional transparency of the entire electoral process.

On a single voting day, more than six thousand election campaigns of various levels took place, including additional elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the seventh convocation in four regions, elections of senior officials of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation - in 16 regions, elections of deputies of legislative (representative) bodies of state power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation - in 29 regions, elections of deputies of representative bodies of municipalities of administrative centers (capitals) of subjects - in 22 regions, elections of heads of municipalities - administrative centers (capitals) of subjects of the Russian Federation - in three regions.

In each voting room where the elections were held, Rostelecom employees organized uninterrupted data transmission via communication channels, installing two compact IP cameras with a wide viewing angle, which included voting boxes, ballot areas and the final vote count. The cameras were mounted taking into account the minimization of "blind" spots in the voting premises. In total, Rostelecom equipped 768 TECs and 9464 PECs on the territory of 38 constituent entities of the Russian Federation with video surveillance equipment for the elections.

In the regions of the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District (Astrakhan and Volgograd Regions, Stavropol Territory, the republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia and Kalmykia), in which elections of various levels were held, the company's specialists installed 878 IP video cameras at 311 facilities of precinct election commissions and 128 in the premises of territorial election commissions.

In real time, the broadcast of the image from all video cameras installed by Rostelecom employees was carried out to the portal nashvybor2019.ru. Citizens of the Russian Federation could observe the process of holding elections at all levels: from the moment the polling station was opened to the completion of the counting of votes and the signing of protocols. The number of unique users of the broadcast portal exceeded 100 thousand people.

A special service portal was deployed for employees of the CEC of Russia and election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, on which it was possible to track the process of setting up the video surveillance infrastructure before the elections, as well as watch the broadcast during the elections.

Rostelecom continues to implement important state projects. Our main goal is to ensure the quality of the video surveillance project by organizing an uninterrupted online broadcast of the entire election process and the safety of video recordings. We are confident that video surveillance allows you to increase the openness and transparency of elections at all levels, " noted Valery Ermakov, Rostelecom Vice President for Corporate and State Segement

To organize video surveillance and store video recordings, Rostelecom used its own secure data network, data centers, and also deployed situation centers in each branch. Over one and a half thousand employees of the company were on duty in the situation centers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the Corporate Center, and 1,693 mobile teams with a total number of more than four thousand specialists were also organized. To support portal users, a number in the 8-800 code was allocated, which received over one and a half thousand calls.

2018

Rostelecom provided video surveillance on the Single Voting Day

On September 11, 2018, it became known that during the Unified Voting Day on September 9, 2018, Rostelecom"" provided video surveillance 12,907 precinct election commissions (PECs) and 718 territorial election commissions (TECs). The provider also organized the broadcast of video signal from cameras to the network Internet and the storage of video recordings from 115 TECs and 1369 PECs in,,, Kaliningrad, and Nizhny Novgorod. Saratov Tver Samara In total, within the Amur regions framework of the project, video surveillance was provided in 40 subjects at 14,739 of the Russian Federation PECs operating online and 370 election commissions offline.

When organizing video surveillance, Rostelecom uses ready-made solutions developed during the previous elections, taking into account the dynamic development of technologies and the IT industry as a whole. In 2018, advanced video cameras with the ability to transfer video to Rostelecom data centers and simultaneously record on stationary devices were used for video surveillance on the Unified Voting Day.

For employees of the Central Election Commission and Election Commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Rostelecom has deployed a service portal that made it possible not only to track the process of configuring the video surveillance system, but also to ensure access to video broadcasts during the elections. To prepare and hold the Unified Voting Day, Rostelecom used its own secure data network and data centers (DPCs), and also deployed situation centers in branches. During the project, more than 11 thousand employees of the company and 2.3 thousand mobile teams were on duty.

The Central Election Commission made it easier for observers to access video recordings from polling stations

The Central Election Commission (CEC) in July 2018 approved a new procedure for the use of video surveillance in by-elections to the State Duma, which will be held in seven single-mandate districts in September, the Vedomosti newspaper writes. As follows from the document, not only candidates and voters who voted there, as was still the case, but also everyone (at least within the constituency) will be able to access videos from polling stations. According to the chairman of the CEC Ella Pamfilova, the changes were made based on the results of an analysis of the reasons for refusing to issue video recordings. At the by-election to the State Duma, video surveillance will be organized in all seven districts, promised the deputy chairman of the CEC Nikolai Bulaev. The CEC also recommended that regional election commissions be guided by similar approaches when developing provisions on access to video recordings in local elections^[6] for^[7].

Elections can be monitored through a mobile application

By the election of the President of the Russian Federation in 2018, the developers of the Consortium iDVP released the first free application using advanced visualization and 3D graphics - "Elections 2018 online." With it, users will be able to monitor voting in real time in all regions of the country.

Main article: Elections 2018 online

Installation of video surveillance systems in the Southern Federal District and North Caucasus federal district is completed

Rostelecom in the South and North Caucasus Federal Districts in March 2018 completed the installation of software and hardware systems for organizing a video surveillance system in the presidential elections on March 18. In total, the operator installed 6,622 sets of equipment on the territory of 11 regions of the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District (including the Chechen Republic), each of which includes two cameras, a switch and a telecommunications cabinet.

In 2018, Rostelecom used compact IP cameras with a flash drive for the project, working without computers, with the ability to transfer pictures in HD quality. They simultaneously write data to a memory card and broadcast it to data centers. The cameras are installed in such a way as to give the widest possible angle of view 101 degrees, taking into account the configuration of the room. Each polling station houses two cross-examination cameras, which provide video surveillance of the ballot box and the work of the election commission.

To monitor the voting process, any citizen located on the territory of the Russian Federation can go to the portal on election day нашвыбор2018.рф. Registration on the portal is not required. To ensure full support for users of the нашвыбор2018.рф portal, Rostelecom provided an intelligent 8-800 301 00 55 number, which has been operating since February 15, 2018.

Broadcast portal

According to the presentation "Use of ICT in the election campaign 2018" Oleg Kachanov Director of the Informatization Projects Department of the Ministry of Communications on February 28, 2018 TAdviser IT Government Day 2018.

Completed installation of video surveillance systems in the Central Federal District

On February 28, 2018, Rostelecom announced the completion of the installation of video surveillance systems in the voting premises of polling stations and the premises of territorial election commissions (PEC and TEC) in the Central Federal District.

The company's specialists installed 8,842 sets of equipment for video surveillance over the elections, of which 2,242 were in the Moscow region. Each kit includes two cameras, a switch and a telecommunications cabinet.

Video surveillance at polling stations will work from 8:00 on March 18, 2018 until the precinct election commission signs the protocol on the voting results and demonstrates it on camera, and the chairman of the commission reads out all his lines. In the territorial election commissions, the broadcast will begin after the end of voting, that is, at 20:00 on March 18, 2018, so that the process of accepting protocols from the PEC can be controlled.

"On the last day of winter, Rostelecom completed the installation of video surveillance systems in the Central Federal District for the presidential elections in the Russian Federation. In total, our specialists installed more than seventeen and a half thousand video cameras at polling stations. Each IP camera is equipped with a 64 GB flash drive, which allows it to record even in the event of an emergency disconnection. The video stream is simultaneously written to the device memory and broadcast to the Data Centers. All cameras are installed in such a way as to provide the maximum viewing angle, but not to violate the secrecy of voting. " Alexander Abramkov, Vice President, Director of the macro-regional branch of Center PJSC Rostelecom

More than half of the video surveillance systems for the election of the President of the Russian Federation have been installed

"Rostelecom," appointed by the Government of the Russian Federation as the sole executor of services related to the organization of video surveillance in the presidential elections in March 2018, announced on February 14, 2018 that it had already installed more than half of the video surveillance systems in the voting premises of polling stations and the premises of territorial election commissions (PEC and TEC).

During the project, Rostelecom will install more than 40 thousand sets of video surveillance equipment for elections throughout the country. Video surveillance of the elections in 2018 will be carried out using a fundamentally different technology - instead of volumetric software and hardware systems (PAC), Rostelecom will install compact IP cameras in the voting and counting places. No computer or other external data devices are required to connect the equipment to the Internet. Video from cameras is transmitted through Rostelecom's secure communication channels to data centers (data centers) located in various regions of the country.

Video surveillance will be provided on the territory of all 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the premises of more than 40 thousand. PEC and TEC. For employees of the Central Election Commission, Election Commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Rostelecom will create a special service portal that will allow you to track the process of setting up video surveillance tools before the elections, guaranteed to provide access to video broadcasts during the elections.

To solve this problem, Rostelecom uses its own secure data network, seven data centers (data centers) - in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk. The company will deploy situation centers in each branch and allocate an 8,800 code number to support portal users.

Everyone will be able to observe the course of the elections: video from polling stations will be broadcast on a separate portal in real time, while the user will be able to choose the polling station or camera of interest to him.

2017

"Rostelecom" was determined by the contractor for the organization of video surveillance in the 2018 elections

On December 20, 2017, the Government of the Russian Federation, by order No. 2502-pr, determined Rostelecom to be the only contractor for the provision of services related to the organization of video surveillance, the broadcast of an image in the Internet information and telecommunication network and the storage of relevant video recordings in order to organize and hold presidential elections in March 2018.

Video surveillance will be provided on the territory of all 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the premises of more than 40 thousand precinct election commissions (PEC) and the premises of territorial election commissions (TEC). A special service portal will be deployed for employees of the Central Election Commission and Election Commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which will allow monitoring the process of configuring the video surveillance system before the elections and will ensure access to video broadcasts during the elections.

To do this, Rostelecom uses its own secure data network, seven data centers (data centers) - in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, will deploy situation centers in each branch, will allocate a number in the code of 8,800 to support portal users.

The cost of video surveillance in the elections has become known

Video surveillance in the upcoming presidential elections RUSSIAN FEDERATION in 2018 will cost 2.7 billion rubles, the news agency reported on August 3 TASS , citing a statement by Nikolai Bulaev, deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation.^[8]

We are confident that the proposals that are formulated in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications fit into the figure of up to 3 billion rubles, to be exact, 2.7 billion rubles. We believe that this allows us to solve the tasks that we set for ourselves when organizing video surveillance in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation, - said the deputy chairman of the CEC.

As he pointed out, the CEC proposed to organize video surveillance only at polling stations in regional and district centers, as well as large settlements, where a total of 85% of the population of the Russian Federation will vote. This measure is aimed at reducing federal budget expenditures on the equipment of sites.

Nikolai Bulaev also explained that video surveillance materials for the elections in 2018 will be stored for three months, but the exact period will be enshrined in the agreement between the Ministry of Communications and the contractor. If candidates apply to the court in order to challenge the election results for any of the polling stations, the storage period for the video archive from this polling station will be extended until the court makes a decision and its entry into force.

In this case, we do not limit the period to either three months or a year, this is the time during which the court considers the complaint, the CEC deputy chairman added.

Access to video materials is provided to all observers by polling stations, members of precinct election commissions, presidential candidates and parties that nominated them. Previously, almost anyone could get access to video materials from the elections, you just had to submit a request.^[9]

The storage period and the procedure for accessing the materials will be spelled out in the resolution prepared by the CEC.

2016

On September 18, 2016, elections of deputies of the State Duma, heads of constituent entities of the Federation and deputies of legislative bodies of state power were held in Russia. To ensure compliance with the voting and data processing procedure, an unparalleled video surveillance system and streaming world developed by PJSC Rostelecom was introduced.

For video surveillance of the voting procedures and counting the votes of PJSC Rostelecom, software and hardware complexes based on IP video cameras were installed. As Hikvision part of the project, video signals were broadcast from voting premises in 15 cities of the Russian Federation with a population of more than 1 million people to the Internet webvyboryedg.ru portal of PJSC Rostelecom.

For observation at the sites, Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-I IP cameras with a resolution of 3MP and a built-in microphone were used, which made it possible to provide detailed video, as well as to record what is happening in the areas in high quality. The broadcast involved more than 25,000 cameras. Streaming video was streamed directly to the portal webvyboryedg.ru. Anyone could observe the voting procedure online. The uninterrupted operation of the system was ensured by the implementation of a solution that included monitoring the functioning of the software, technical support for the portal and its protection against DDOS attacks, a support hotline in the 8,800 code, an extensive data center system.

Olga Rumyantseva, Vice President of PJSC Rostelecom: "The video surveillance system developed by Rostelecom is a reliable solution that can be easily scaled throughout the country. The powerful infrastructure of our company allows you to pass a large amount of "heavy" traffic, and the high technical characteristics of the cameras ensure high video quality in full compliance with the tasks of the project. For four years, the system has shown itself as an effective tool, without which it is already difficult to imagine holding such socially significant projects as Elections or the Unified State Exam. We see that this system has great potential and are ready to offer it to customers for the implementation of projects of any complexity. "

Mikhail Falileev, Head of Federal Projects at Hikvision: "During the year, Hikvision optimized and adapted its equipment to solve the problem set by PJSC Rostelecom. In particular, the engineers of our company have finalized a special version of the firmware and changed a number of camera characteristics. Previously, a system consisting of a laptop and a webcam was used for election surveillance. Hikvision equipment made it possible to implement the entire broadcast system on board the camera. "

2011

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications will allocate 13 billion rubles. from the state budget to organize video surveillance at polling stations during the presidential election. At the same time, the total cost of the project is estimated at 20-26 billion rubles. The executor of the Rostelecom project will finance the missing amount from its own funds. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications is confident that such a fight against falsifications will pay off only in five to seven years and will not bring profit to Rostelecom.

The deputy head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications spoke about the costs of organizing video surveillance in the elections last Friday. Massukh Ilya He noted that this project was initially unprofitable. According to the ministry's calculations, the operator will recoup the costs of it in five to seven years by using communication channels - together with webcams, access to Internet and services of "electronic government" will come to all rural areas. The equipment is unlikely to become a source of Rostelecom's income after the elections: it will be left in schools for distance learning and monitoring the Unified State Exam.

Experts from the Accounts Chamber were involved in the assessment of the project, as a result its cost decreased to 13 billion rubles. Software costs are not provided at all in the project budget. The final distribution of Rostelecom's costs will be clear only after the project is implemented, says a RBC daily source at the company. "The company expects to recoup the costs generated by operating the created infrastructure over the next few years," he adds. At the same time, its own financing will be attracted as necessary, its volume has not yet been determined.

After testing, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications identified four foreign equipment suppliers. Computers and laptops for video surveillance systems will be delivered by Lenovo and Fujitsu (the distributor in Russia is the Russian manufacturer of computer equipment Kraftway), the monitors will be supplied by Samsung. Among the manufacturers of webcams, the Ministry of Communications chose Logitech.

The initiative to install webcams at all polling stations was made by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after two rallies "for fair elections." It is assumed that video surveillance will help avoid possible fraud in the presidential elections in Russia on March 4 this year. On behalf of the government, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communications and the CEC decided how to minimize the cost of installing video surveillance systems. The Special Council presented the final version of the project on December 24. It provided for the installation of USB-output cameras at most polling stations and IP cameras for the most accessible polling stations in major cities.

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