KYIV — Ukrainian forces launched a massive drone strike on Moscow and other Russian regions, disrupting air travel as voting commenced in Russia's parliamentary election. The election marks the first federal poll since President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that over 350 drones flew toward the capital and surrounding area over an 11-hour period. This represents one of the largest single drone attacks against Moscow since the war began.
Russian air defenses shot down 64 drones as they approached Moscow, with most neutralized at a distance, Sobyanin said. Emergency services worked at various crash sites across the region.
The strike disrupted flights at Moscow's major international airports, including Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Domodedovo. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned earlier this month that planes should avoid Russian airspace due to the ongoing drone threat.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that 629 Ukrainian drones were shot down or disrupted across Russia overnight, covering multiple regions beyond the capital.
Voting began in Russia's three-day parliamentary election. Russian authorities reported that over 234,000 people voted electronically in Moscow within the first half hour of polling.
The anti-war party Yabloko was banned from the ballot. Critics have called the election rigged.
Ukrainian drones also targeted military airfields in Rostov-on-Don and Yeysk, leaving both ablaze. The attack on Rostov-on-Don was the second in two days. A previous strike on Thursday damaged six aircraft, including an An-12 transport plane, with estimated losses reaching £45 million.
Russia responded with a strike on the Aormst shopping center in Zaporizhzhia city. Mykhailo Semikin, head of the regional military administration, said the center was destroyed and characterized the attack as a failed attempt to destabilize the region.
