Russia says destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones as polling stations open

As polling stations opened across Russia for the nation's first parliamentary election since the start of the war, Russian authorities claimed to have destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones that had been en route to Moscow. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin revealed on social media platform Telegram that more than 350 Ukrainian-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) targeted the Moscow region between 8:00 PM on September 17 and 7:00 AM on September 18.

The majority of these drones were reportedly neutralized at the outer defensive perimeter, with 64 of them intercepted before reaching the capital.

President Vladimir Putin, who has governed Russia since New Year's Eve in 1999, has faced few obstacles in maintaining his political grip. His United Russia party has dominated Russian politics since the early 2000s. Moscow has imposed strict controls over criticism of its Ukraine campaign, and these tightly monitored elections, managed by the Kremlin, offer little in the way of surprises. The vote to elect the 450 members of Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, will continue until 6:00 PM GMT on Sunday.