Ukraine launches heavy Moscow drone attack as Russia votes

Ukraine launched what Moscow’s mayor called the biggest drone attack yet on the Russian capital on Sunday, as Russians voted on the final day of a parliamentary election that President Vladimir Putin has cast as a test of support for the war in Ukraine. The drone strikes killed two people in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, including an election official, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and election authorities. A facility at Moscow's oil refinery, which has been targeted before, was also damaged.

“The biggest attack by enemy drones has been repelled,” Sobyanin said on Telegram. “This unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed.”

The State Duma vote, the first since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, is expected to see the ruling United Russia party easily retain its dominance in a political system critics say does not tolerate dissent. The Kremlin is likely to present the outcome as evidence of public backing for Putin’s policies and for the war, now in its fifth year with no sign of ending soon.

The election authorities say the three days of voting have proceeded smoothly despite cyberattacks reported on Saturday. Turnout was at over 50% by early afternoon Moscow time, Interfax news agency reported, citing the Central Election Commission. Those who did run from the liberal Yabloko party, which has polled in the single digits in recent years but hoped to tap into war fatigue, said they feared for their freedom after courts handed long jail terms to two senior party figures before the vote for comments about the conflict. Discrediting the army or spreading what authorities regard as fake news is punishable by lengthy prison sentences.

In a small act of defiance, Yabloko’s leader, Nikolai Rybakov, demonstrably spoiled his ballot paper, writing his party’s name and the slogan “For peace.” The Kremlin says national unity and some censorship are necessary during what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine. It casts the conflict—Europe’s deadliest since World War Two—as part of an existential struggle with a hostile West. Moscow says Ukrainian intelligence services and other enemies are stepping up efforts to stir unrest inside Russia.

Russian electoral officials said on Saturday that an online voting system in Moscow had come under cyberattack. Kyiv, which has suspended elections under martial law, has dismissed the Russian vote as a “pseudo election.” Putin on Friday also accused Ukraine of trying to interfere in the election, citing what he said was a Ukrainian strike that killed an election official in her home in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on Tuesday.

Despite what experts see as the election’s predictable outcome, the NEST think-tank in Berlin, co-founded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom Russian authorities have designated “a foreign agent,” said the vote could still produce awkward moments for the Kremlin at a time of economic strain. “The consequences of the war are increasingly being felt within the country, and accumulated anxiety and frustration may translate into votes for the systemic opposition parties that the Kremlin has allowed to remain on the ballot,” it said in a note.

It said the Communist party and the New People party could attract votes the authorities would prefer to go to United Russia. Both parties have consistently voted in line with United Russia on major issues. Putin told the nation in a televised address before the election that the vote would underline support for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. “Your choice, and your will, will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our soldiers, that we are a united people bound together by shared values, historical memory, and love for our homeland, and that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating us,” said Putin.

The attack, which coincided with the final day of voting, killed at least two people in the Moscow region and damaged a major oil refinery, according to local authorities. Moscow Mayor Sobyanin described the operation as an attempt to disrupt the election, which he called a test of public support for President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces deployed over 1,000 drones in the attack, with hundreds directed at Moscow, according to Russian officials. Moscow’s mayor reported that 450 drones were intercepted en route to the capital, while 1,600 were shot down across the wider Moscow region. Despite these efforts, some drones managed to strike a key oil refinery and a residential building, causing fires and evacuations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed the attack damaged “key” Russian oil and logistics facilities, calling it a strategic effort to undermine Moscow’s war machine. “These are billions of dollars that sustain the war,” he said on social media. Ukrainian officials also reported hitting a logistics site in the Voronezh region, though details of the damage remained unverified.

Russian authorities reported two more deaths in the Zaporizhzhia region, including an election official killed in a drone strike on a bus. The incident was cited by Putin’s government as evidence of Ukrainian aggression, even as Kyiv dismissed the vote as illegitimate. “This is not a real election,” a Ukrainian official said, referring to the inclusion of occupied territories in the ballot.

The election, which saw over 50% turnout by midday, is expected to reaffirm the dominance of Putin’s United Russia party. However, some analysts noted the potential for dissent amid economic strain and war fatigue. The NEST think-tank warned that systemic opposition parties, such as the Communists and New People, could gain traction if public frustration with the conflict intensifies.

Escalating Aerial Warfare

The drone attack marks a new phase in the conflict’s aerial warfare, with both sides relying on long-range strikes to inflict economic and psychological damage. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure, while Moscow has intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities. Recent weeks have seen a surge in drone and missile strikes, with both nations accusing each other of violating norms against attacking energy facilities.

Russian forces reportedly launched 138 drones across Ukraine overnight, with air defenses downing 101. In the Kyiv region, a drone strike killed a woman and her two young children, while another attack left a child in critical condition. Ukrainian officials also reported a drone strike on a monastery in Kherson, killing one clergy member and injuring four others.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent sanctions on Russian energy exports, including 100% tariffs on major buyers like China and India, have added to the economic pressure on Moscow. However, the conflict shows no signs of abating, with both sides preparing for prolonged combat.