Moscow and its region were targeted overnight from Saturday to Sunday by a massive drone attack, on the final day of the Russian legislative elections. The capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, states that Russian defenses intercepted more than 1,600 drones since Saturday on various routes, including 450 heading towards Moscow. However, several devices reached their targets and two people were killed in the Moscow region.
The attack occurred just over a month after a previous large-scale drone offensive against Moscow. Long-range strikes have increased in recent months on both sides of the front, notably with repeated attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructures.
450 drones reportedly directly targeted Moscow
Sergei Sobyanin describes the operation as the largest drone attack conducted so far against the Russian capital. According to the mayor, more than 1,600 devices have been intercepted since Saturday, including 450 near Moscow. He directly accuses Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the legislative vote held from September 18 to 20: “The unprecedented attack was clearly planned to disrupt the elections. The enemy did not succeed.”
This accusation regarding the electoral objective of the attack comes from Russian authorities. Ukraine had not immediately commented on this offensive nor responded to Sergei Sobyanin’s claim about an intent to disrupt the vote.
Two dead, six injured, and damaged buildings
The most severe consequences were recorded in the Moscow region. In Sofino, in the Ramenskoye district, a drone struck a three-story building and damaged six apartments. A 44-year-old woman was killed and five people were injured, including two children hospitalized. An elderly man also died in the Orekhovo-Zuyevo district after his house was destroyed and caught fire.
In the Ramenskoye district, the fall of a drone also caused a fire on the roof of a 21-story building. About 400 people, including 70 children, had to be evacuated and around twenty vehicles were damaged. Between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., regional authorities claim to have intercepted or neutralized 249 drones in 17 sectors of the Moscow region.
Moscow refinery hit
Several drones managed to reach the Moscow refinery area, a strategic facility located in the capital. Explosions and smoke were observed around the site, while authorities confirmed damage to a facility within the refinery premises. The exact extent of the damage was not yet known Sunday morning.
Russian oil infrastructures are regularly targeted by Ukrainian drones. These attacks are part of an ongoing aerial war also continuing in Ukraine, where 160 Russian drones were notably launched during the night of September 10 to 11, causing several casualties.
An attack on the final day of the legislative elections
This wave of drones occurred on Sunday, September 20, the third and final day of the Russian legislative elections. The vote takes place over three days and is intended to renew the Duma, while Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party currently holds a very large majority in Parliament.
Russian authorities had already denounced cyberattacks on electronic voting systems and communication networks on Saturday, which they also attributed to Ukraine. The night from Saturday to Sunday thus adds a direct military dimension to the end of the vote, with several hundred drones launched towards the capital and its region within a few hours.
