Ukraine has launched what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as the largest drone attack on the Russian capital, coinciding with the final day of a parliamentary election crucial for President Vladimir Putin. The elections are being framed by Putin as a demonstration of support for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
As the attack unfolded, officials reported that Ukrainian forces fired over 1,000 drones at Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have shot down 1,100 drones nationwide, including near Crimea and the Black Sea. Mayor Sobyanin revealed that 450 drones were downed en route to Moscow, with some causing damage to the city’s oil refinery and a residential building.
In response, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced strikes on a warehouse belonging to Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturer Fire Point, along with military targets in Odesa.
Tragically, a separate Russian drone assault in the Kyiv region killed a mother and her two young children, intensifying ongoing violence in the area.
On the election’s last day, the drone strikes were described by Sobyanin as an attempt to disrupt the tightly controlled vote, which many believe will help solidify Putin’s authority. He stated, “The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed.”
As tensions remain high, current events underscore the ongoing conflict, which has escalated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
