Russia’s parliamentary election entered its third and final day on Sunday amid a major drone attack targeting Moscow and the surrounding region. Authorities reported that at least two people were killed, while a facility on the premises of the Moscow oil refinery was damaged.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted and shot down, including 450 directed at Moscow. He accused Ukraine of seeking to disrupt the three-day vote, writing on Telegram that the attack had been planned for that purpose and had failed to stop the election.
State news agency TASS, citing Sobyanin, also reported damage at the refinery facility. Its report said no casualties had been recorded there, while the wider authorities’ account cited at least two deaths from the drone attacks.
President Vladimir Putin has presented the election as a measure of public support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ruling United Russia party is expected to retain its dominance, and critics say the country’s political system leaves little room for dissent.
The vote for the State Duma is the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin is expected to use the result as evidence of backing for Putin’s policies and the war, according to the supplied report.
The election also included, for the first time, residents of Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the invasion began. The report additionally noted that the United States had approved a potential $2.68 billion sale of air-defence equipment to Ukraine, following repeated Ukrainian requests for assistance.