On the last election day

Refinery in Moscow on Fire After Drone Attack

In Moscow, Russia’s most important refinery is on fire on the final day of the parliamentary election.(Bild: AP/AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur)

Thick smoke hangs over Moscow: Following a fierce drone and missile attack by Ukraine on Russia, the capital’s most important refinery is on fire.

According to official reports, two people were killed and about 20 injured in the Ukrainian attacks, and a large refinery near Moscow was hit. Photos show thick plumes of smoke rising over the Russian capital.

Air defense intercepted over 1,600 drones over Russia
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated on the online platform Telegram that Russian air defenses had intercepted a total of more than 1,600 drones, 450 of which were heading toward Moscow alone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also wrote on the messaging app X: “Our long-range strikes had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night.”

One of the Russian oil industry’s most important facilities, as well as logistics facilities, had been hit. Zelenskyy explained that this involved billions used to finance the Russian war machine.

Several People Killed
The governor of the Moscow Region, Andrei Vorobyov, also announced on Sunday that a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man had been killed in attacks at two different locations in the Moscow metropolitan area. A drone also sparked a fire in a 21-story building, and 400 people were evacuated.

A cloud of black smoke hung over Moscow on Sunday.(Bild: AFP/-)

Authorities also reported a Ukrainian drone attack on a bus in a Russian-controlled part of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson. According to reports, two people were killed, including a member of the election commission.

Drone Attack to Disrupt the Election?
With the drone attacks on Moscow casting a shadow over the proceedings, people in Russia cast their votes on the third and final day of the parliamentary election.

Moscow Mayor Sobyanin accused Ukraine on Sunday of attempting to disrupt the voting process. “This unprecedented attack was quite obviously planned with the aim of disrupting the election. The enemy did not succeed,” he stated.

Sunday marks the third and final day of parliamentary elections in Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow’s mayor accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the voting process.(Bild: AP/Pavel Bednyakov)

A victory for President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is considered a certainty in the election. It has won every parliamentary election since 2003. Only other parties loyal to the Kremlin are permitted to run alongside it.

First Election Since the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Initial results were expected after the polls closed (8 p.m. CEST). On Saturday evening, voter turnout stood at 40 percent. This is the first parliamentary election in Russia since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The anti-war party Yabloko had been barred from the election in August. On Saturday, according to the party, one of its election observers was arrested.

There are also fears that a new military mobilization could take place after the election, similar to what happened in 2022, when 300,000 reservists were called up. As a result, many men of draft age left Russia. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had accused the Kremlin of planning to launch a new mobilization “this fall.” Putin denied this.