Ukraine launched a massive drone barrage against Moscow and surrounding areas on Sunday as Russia entered the final day of its parliamentary elections, with Moscow authorities describing the attack as the largest ever against the Russian capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across the country since Saturday, including about 450 that were heading towards Moscow.
The attack killed at least two people in the Moscow region, according to local authorities, while several others were injured.
A section of the Moscow Oil Refinery was also damaged in the strikes, with fires reported at the facility.
Sobyanin described the assault as an unprecedented attack and accused Ukraine of deliberately attempting to disrupt the final day of Russia’s three-day parliamentary elections.
He said the attack had failed to prevent the elections from going ahead.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had intercepted more than 1,100 Ukrainian drones across Russia, Crimea and the Black Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces had carried out long-range strikes in the Moscow region, saying an oil industry facility and a logistics facility had been hit.
He described the targets as important to Russia’s war effort but did not provide further details on the number of drones involved.
The strikes came as Russians voted on the third and final day of parliamentary elections, the first such national vote since President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian authorities said voting continued despite the attacks, while the Central Election Commission reported that the process was proceeding without major disruption.
The Kremlin has presented the election as a test of public support for its policies and the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy and military-related infrastructure with long-range drones during the war, particularly facilities it says contribute to Moscow’s ability to sustain its military campaign.