Russia vows revenge for election-day attacks as poll shows ruling party win

MOSCOW, September 21 - Russia announced it would "intensify" its strikes on Kyiv following Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow during the final day of voting. The attacks killed two people and caused significant damage, including setting an oil refinery ablaze. Russia accused Ukraine of trying to "disrupt the democratic will of Russian citizens" and vowed a response.

An exit poll by the state-run pollster VCIOM showed United Russia party on track to secure 49.4% of the vote in the tightly controlled parliamentary elections. Russian defense ministry claimed the attack involved around 1,600 drones, with 450 targeted at Moscow directly. Images revealed damage to an apartment building and oil refinery in Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the attacks, stating they had a major impact on the Moscow region. Two people were reported killed, and 400 evacuated due to a fire caused by a crashed drone. The parliamentary vote, the first since the start of the Ukraine offensive, saw United Russia, the Communist Party, and the nationalist LDPR party as the top contenders.