Moscow repels ‘largest enemy drone attack’ involving over 1,600 UAVs amid Russian parliamentary elections

Moscow [Russia], September 20 (ANI): Amid ongoing Russian parliamentary elections, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that Russia had repelled what he described as the “largest enemy drone attack” on Moscow, claiming the attack was aimed at disrupting the ongoing parliamentary elections.
In a post on Telegram, Sobyanin said that more than 1,600 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been repelled “at all front lines” since Saturday, including 450 that were approaching Moscow.
“The largest enemy drone attack on Moscow has been repelled,” Sobyanin said, thanking Russian air defence forces for their work.
He said several UAVs nevertheless reached the Moscow Oil Refinery and one struck a residential building.
“This unprecedented attack was clearly planned to disrupt the elections. The enemy failed,” Sobyanin said.
Meanwhile, in a separate post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine’s long-range strikes had a “very significant impact” in the Moscow region overnight, saying a key Russian oil industry facility and a logistics facility had been hit.
He said the systems used in the strikes included FP-1, RZ-100, MICH-2000, Palianytsia, Vendetta, Liutyi, Bars, Flamingo, Sichen and Pelican.
“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, MICH-2000, Palianytsia, Vendetta, Liutyi, Bars, Flamingo, Sichen, and Pelican.”
Zelenskyy credited the Security Service of Ukraine, Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and Foreign Intelligence Service for the operation.
He also said sanctions had been imposed on a facility in Russia’s Voronezh region, while calling for Moscow to end what he described as its “brutal war” and choose peace.
“Steps toward de-escalation are on the table – in energy and food security. What is needed is political will,” Zelenskyy said.

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

In another post, he said Russia had continued to launch strikes across Ukraine, claiming that Moscow had launched more than 2,000 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 19 missiles of various types against Ukraine in the past week.
“Every day and every night, we defend ourselves against Russian strikes,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
He said that a Russian FPV drone struck a monastery in Ukraine’s Kherson region, killing one member of the clergy and wounding four others. He added that critical and civilian infrastructure had also been struck in the Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa regions, while residential buildings were hit in the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Zelenskyy said the Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy regions also came under attack since Saturday evening.
Calling for stronger international measures against Russia, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “constantly looking for and finding ways to defend itself and respond to these attacks on life”.
“It is important that our partners also look for and find ways to make Russia feel its war,” he said, calling for new sanctions steps from the United States, Europe and G7 countries.

Every day and every night, we defend ourselves against Russian strikes. Yesterday, in the Kherson region, the Russians struck a monastery with an FPV drone. Tragically, one member of the monastery clergy was killed and four others were wounded. My condolences to the family and… pic.twitter.com/B7c61dhNuT

As developments follow, American broadcaster CNN reported, citing the governor of the wider Moscow region, Andrey Vorobiev, that two people were killed and 20, including three children, were injured in the attacks overnight.
This comes as Sunday is the third and final day of Russia’s first parliamentary elections.
The three-day voting process for the State Duma, Russia's lower house of Parliament, is being held from September 18 to 20.
Russian President Vladimir Putin cast his ballot online in the election on Friday.
In a televised address ahead of the elections, Putin urged Russian citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote and described participation in the elections as a responsibility and contribution to the country's future.
The 2026 parliamentary election is the first State Duma election since Russia launched its full-scale military operation in Ukraine in 2022. The election is being held alongside elections for legislative assemblies, governors in several regions and municipal bodies. (ANI)