Russia says destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones as polling stations open

Russia destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow as polling stations opened for the country's first parliamentary election since the start of the war, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Friday. The election, tightly controlled by the Kremlin, is expected to bring few surprises as the United Russia party, led by President Vladimir Putin, is expected to dominate.

Over 350 Ukrainian UAVs flew towards the Moscow region between 8:00 PM on September 17 and 7:00 AM on September 18, with most being intercepted and destroyed at the outer defensive perimeter. Putin has been in power since New Year's Eve 1999, and his party has held control over Russian politics since the early 2000s. The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted daily life for Russians.