Hundreds of drones targeting Moscow and the surrounding region killed at least two people and damaged a major refinery on Sunday, the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted and shot down, including 450 targeting the capital.

He accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with a tightly controlled three-day election that is set to tighten President Vladimir Putin’s 26-year grip on power.

“The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed,” he said on Telegram.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the strikes, saying: “Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night.”

Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night. One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit. These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine. The systems used included FP-1, RZ-100,… pic.twitter.com/ka5mlDSgb7
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 20, 2026

“One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit. These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine,” he posted on X.

Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on the social media platform that at least two people were killed — a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man — in two separate locations.

A fire triggered by a drone crashing into a 21-storey building also led to 400 people being evacuated, Vorobyov said. He did not specify the drones’ origin.

The attacks come at a time when Kyiv stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin’s revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year. (AFP)