Russia Says 1,100 Ukrainian Drones Intercepted, 2 Killed in Moscow Region

September 20, 2026

Moscow: Russian officials said Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,000 drones overnight, including hundreds targeting Moscow, as Russia concluded the third and final day of its parliamentary elections.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the drone attacks as the largest such assault on the capital, saying the strikes damaged the Moscow Oil Refinery and a residential building.

Officials in the wider Moscow region said two people were killed and 20 others injured in the attacks. The deceased were identified as a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman.

Russia Says 1,100 Drones Intercepted

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had destroyed or intercepted around 1,100 Ukrainian drones across various parts of the country, as well as over Crimea and the Black Sea.

Sobyanin said around 450 drones had been destroyed while approaching Moscow. He described the scale of the attack as unprecedented and said emergency services were assessing the damage caused by the strikes.

Two Killed, 20 Injured in Moscow Region

Governor Andrei Vorobyov said two people were killed and 20 others injured in the wider Moscow region following the overnight drone attacks.

The victims were identified as a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman. Officials continued to assess the extent of the damage and the impact of the attacks.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine regarding the Russian claims.

Attack Came During Parliamentary Elections

The drone attacks took place as Russia was concluding its three-day parliamentary elections.

The election was held amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and with little organised opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s policies. Russia also held voting in areas of Ukraine that it claims to have annexed but does not fully control, as well as in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

Kyiv has rejected the voting in the occupied Ukrainian territories as illegal.

Moscow Says Drone Attack Failed To Disrupt Voting

Sobyanin said the drone strikes were intended to disrupt Russia’s elections but did not achieve that objective.

The attacks were reported as voting was drawing to a close, with Russian officials saying drones had been intercepted over Moscow, other parts of the country, Crimea and the Black Sea.