Russians vote as Ukraine launches 'unprecedented' attack

Moscow – Agencies: Russian voters cast their ballots yesterday on the third day of parliamentary elections amid an escalation described by authorities as “unprecedented,” while Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on the capital, Moscow. The final day of voting saw two people killed in Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the Russian capital, which also left approximately 20 people injured, according to Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the Ukrainian attack as “unprecedented,” accusing Kyiv of seeking to “create confusion” in the parliamentary elections. In a post on Telegram, he stated that Russian air defenses had shot down more than 1,600 drones since Saturday, including “450 that were heading toward Moscow,” adding, “It is clear that this unprecedented attack aims to create confusion in the elections. The enemy failed to achieve its goal.” In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone strike targeted a bus in the Russian-controlled southern Kherson region, killing two people, one of whom was a member of an electoral commission. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the strikes, stating, “Our long-range operations had a very significant impact in the Moscow region.” He wrote on the X platform, “One of Russia’s main oil production facilities was targeted. It is billions of dollars that keep the war machine running.” The United Russia party, which supports the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has won all parliamentary elections since 2003. Only formations that support Putin and the war in Ukraine, to varying degrees, were permitted to participate in the elections. The Yabloko party, the only one openly opposed to the war, was initially allowed to participate before being excluded by the courts last month. These parliamentary elections are unlikely to bring any major surprises, but they mark the first such elections in Russia since Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, and may therefore serve as an indicator of the level of public support for the conflict, which has caused the highest number of casualties in Europe since World War II. Ahead of the start of voting, Putin (73) called on his citizens to vote to demonstrate a “united stance against those who try to weaken Russia.”