Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russian territory overnight, with a significant portion directed toward the capital, Moscow, officials said Sunday. The wave of unmanned aircraft coincided with the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections.

Casualties and damage in the Moscow region

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the assault as the “largest ever” drone attack on the city. He confirmed that a Moscow oil refinery and a residential building sustained damage. Local Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported two civilian deaths—a 74‑year‑old man and a 44‑year‑old woman—and 20 injuries across the wider Moscow region.

Ukrainian statements on the operation

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that Kyiv employed a mix of missiles and drones, including domestically produced Flamingo and Pelican systems, to strike oil and logistics facilities. He framed the attacks as a financial blow to Russia’s war‑machine, saying, “These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine.” Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine continued to repel Russian attacks, citing a recent Russian drone strike on a monastery in the Kherson region that killed a clergy member and wounded four.

Russian response and claims

The Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces shot down a total of 1,110 Ukrainian drones across Russian territory, the annexed Crimean peninsula, and the Black Sea. Sobyanin added that 450 drones were destroyed before reaching Moscow, and he characterized the operation as an attempt to disrupt the elections, stating, “The enemy failed in this regard.”

Election context

The drone barrage occurred on the last day of Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election, an event described by observers as lacking genuine opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s policies. The vote also took place in four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims after annexation, as well as in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kyiv has condemned the elections as illegal.

Broader conflict dynamics

Since Russia’s invasion began more than four years ago, Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in drone technology, fielding long‑range unmanned systems alongside missiles for deep‑strike missions inside Russia. Analysts note that the ongoing aerial duel is intensifying, with both sides employing drones and ground robots along the roughly 1,250‑kilometer front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Human cost on both sides

In addition to the civilian casualties in Moscow, a Russian drone strike in the Ukrainian capital killed two children and their mother on Saturday. A subsequent report indicated that another child wounded in the same attack died in a hospital on Sunday. The conflict’s toll on civilians continues to rise on both sides of the front.

Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.