Moscow [Russia], September 21: Russia's first parliamentary election since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine drew to a close on Sunday as massive Ukrainian drone attacks hit Moscow, with Russian officials accusing Kiev of trying to disrupt the vote.
The Kremlin-backed United Russia party has secured victory in Russia's parliamentary election, taking 49.4% of the vote, according to preliminary results reported by Russian news agencies on Sunday. The election was Russia's first parliamentary vote since President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was widely seen as a test of public backing for the war. Putin had called on Russians to use their vote to contribute to victory in Ukraine, while dozens of war veterans stood as candidates for United Russia.
The vote has been dismissed by democracy watchdogs, Western governments and Kremlin opponents as neither free nor fair, with critics accusing the authorities of excluding genuine opposition and tightly controlling the political landscape.Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, said the attacks were intended to derail voting for the new State Duma, the lower house of parliament. She also accused Ukraine of launching cyberattacks against Russia's online voting system, but said attempts to disrupt the election had failed.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin similarly accused Kiev of seeking to "sabotage" the election after the Russian capital and surrounding region came under heavy drone attack.
He described it as the "largest attack by enemy drones on Moscow," saying 450 drones heading for the capital had been intercepted.
Some drones nonetheless reached the grounds of a Moscow oil refinery, Sobyanin acknowledged. Images showed fire and dark smoke rising from the site, which has previously been targeted by Ukraine.
At least three people were killed in the wider Moscow region, while regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said at least 20 people were injured in Ukrainian attacks.
Fires broke out in several locations, residential buildings were damaged and hundreds of people were evacuated, according to Russian officials. Restrictions were also imposed at all four of Moscow's airports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed attacks on the Moscow region, saying one of Russia's key oil industry facilities and a logistics site had been hit.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had used several types of weapons, including drones and Flamingo and Pelican missiles.
Ukrainian media have described the Pelican as a ballistic missile developed by Ukrainian company Fire Point. The company has given its range as up to 200 kilometres, however, which would not be sufficient to reach Moscow from Ukrainian-controlled territory. If confirmed, it would be the first known use of the weapon.
Zelensky also mentioned an attack on a facility in Russia's Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, and called on Moscow to end its war.
Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said 43 drones had been intercepted over the region. Two people were injured and houses and cars were damaged, according to the governor. Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion since February 2022, has increasingly targeted sites deep inside Russia, particularly oil facilities that provide an important source of revenue for Moscow's war effort.
Source: Qatar Tribune