Russia's ruling United Russia party is projected to win a tightly controlled election, coinciding with what is believed to be the largest drone attack on the Moscow region by Ukraine on the final day of voting. According to data from the Central Election Commission, United Russia, which is backed by President Vladimir Putin, received 57.5% of the parliamentary vote with over 71% of ballots counted. This election marks the first for the 450-seat State Duma, the lower house of parliament, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On Sunday, three individuals were reported dead following the drone attack, which Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin characterized as the "largest enemy drone attack" on the capital to date. The attack resulted in flames and significant smoke rising from the outskirts of the city, and damage was reported at an oil refinery facility.
Russian government officials accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the election, which included residents from regions that Russia has annexed from Ukraine during the ongoing conflict. The election results are anticipated to reinforce the dominant position of United Russia, which is significantly ahead of its competitors after more than four years of war.
All parties on the ballot have largely pledged loyalty to Putin and his political agenda. The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered party opposing the war in Ukraine, was barred from participating by the country's top court.
Elina Ribakova, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, noted that the election indicates United Russia is likely to receive a higher vote share than in 2021. Ribakova stated, "I think it matters for the regime to show the legitimization of it, right? People have voted and just a curious fact, head of Chechen Republic [Ramzan] Kadyrov, for example, got 99.85% of the vote."
Ribakova added, "What happens after the election, that's what really matters. I think Putin himself worries the most about the participants of the war. There will be hundreds of thousands of people who will be coming back, should there be peace or a temporary ceasefire, to Russia facing stagflation: high inflation and zero growth. This is what Russia calls the most passionate part of the population that the regime needs to be really worried about."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to meet in New York during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Zelenskyy stated, "We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum. There are ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life. We are working together with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps."
Following his announcement, Zelenskyy provided an update on the situation in Zaporizhzhia, reporting damage to residential buildings, a university facility, and a shopping mall from a recent Russian attack, which resulted in five injuries. Additionally, a separate drone strike in the Kharkiv region resulted in one death, with Russia reportedly striking ten regions on Sunday evening and into the night. Zelenskyy remarked, "Russia is not backing down from its escalation and is sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war."