Hundreds of Drones Target Moscow on Final Day of Russian Elections, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/world/europe/moscow-russia-ukraine.html)

Here is an overview of the news regarding the massive drone assault on Moscow on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections:

Key Developments

• Scale of the Assault: Russian authorities reported one of the largest long-range Ukrainian drone strikes aimed at the capital region since the conflict began. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and regional defense officials stated that out of roughly 1,600 drones intercepted across Russian territory over the weekend, around 450 were heading directly toward Moscow and its surrounding oblast.

• Casualties and Infrastructure Damage:

  • At least two fatalities were reported in the Moscow regiona 44-year-old woman and an elderly manin separate locations after intercepted debris or direct strikes triggered fires. In one incident, a drone struck a 21-story residential building, prompting the evacuation of several hundred residents.

  • Several drones struck the premises of the Gazpromneft-Moscow Oil Refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district, starting fires and damaging industrial processing facilities.

• Disruption to Civil Infrastructure: Flights were heavily restricted and temporarily suspended across major international aviation hubs serving the capital, including Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports, during peak waves of the raid.

• Political & Election Context:

  • The strikes coincided with the third and final day of Russia’s State Duma parliamentary electionsthe first parliamentary vote held during the full-scale conflict.

  • Russian officials, including Mayor Sobyanin, accused Kyiv of attempting to terrorize the civilian population and disrupt the electoral process, which Kremlin critics and Western observers noted was already tightly controlled and virtually devoid of anti-war opposition candidates.

  • Ukrainian officials, who have consistently maintained that strikes inside Russia focus on military logistics and revenue-generating energy infrastructure that funds Moscow’s war effort, highlighted the impact on industrial targets such as the Kapotnya oil refinery.