Ukraine launched what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as the biggest drone attack yet on the Russian capital on Sunday, as Russians voted on the final day of a parliamentary election.
The attacks killed two people in the Moscow region and another two in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, including an election official, according to Russian authorities.
A facility at Moscow’s oil refinery, which has been targeted in previous attacks, was also damaged.
“The biggest attack by enemy drones has been repelled,” Sobyanin said on Telegram.
He accused Ukraine of planning the attack to disrupt the election but said Russian forces had prevented that from happening.
The State Duma election is the first parliamentary vote since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The ruling United Russia party is expected to retain its dominance in the 450-member lower house, in an election where most prominent anti-war candidates have been excluded from the ballot.
The Kremlin is expected to present the result as evidence of public support for President Vladimir Putin and his policies, including the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s Central Election Commission said voting had proceeded smoothly despite cyberattacks reported on Saturday.
Commission chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said turnout for the State Duma and regional elections had passed 45 per cent by late Sunday morning.
Most candidates openly opposed to the war have been barred from contesting the election.
The liberal Yabloko party was allowed to field some candidates, but its members said they feared for their freedom after courts handed lengthy prison sentences to senior party figures over comments concerning the war.
Russian law provides for lengthy prison terms for discrediting the armed forces or spreading what authorities classify as false information about the military.
Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov staged a small act of protest by deliberately spoiling his ballot paper, writing the party’s name and the words, “For peace.”
The Kremlin says restrictions and censorship are necessary to maintain national unity during what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Moscow has also accused Ukrainian intelligence services and other adversaries of trying to stir unrest inside Russia.
Although United Russia is widely expected to retain control, analysts said parties permitted to contest the election could benefit from growing economic pressure and war fatigue.
The NEST think-tank in Berlin said accumulated frustration could translate into votes for Russia’s permitted opposition parties.
It identified the Communist Party and New People as possible beneficiaries, although both have generally supported United Russia on major issues.
Putin had urged Russians to participate in the election, saying the result would demonstrate support for Russian troops.
“Your choice, and your will, will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our soldiers,” Putin said in a televised address before voting began.
Initial results were expected from around 6pm GMT on Sunday, with fuller results due on Monday.
