Civilian Attacks Surge During Russia’s State Duma Election Week, Moscow Says 41 Killed
Dragon Media News Desk
Russia has accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out an intensified series of attacks on civilian areas during the week of the State Duma elections, claiming that 41 civilians were killed and 338 others injured between September 14 and 20. Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the 379 reported civilian casualties included 18 injured minors and four children among those killed. The overall weekly figures have not been independently verified.
Miroshnik alleged that polling stations, schools, cultural centres, social facilities and administrative buildings were among the sites targeted during the election period. Russian officials said a polling station located inside a school in Prishib, Zaporozhye Region, was destroyed on September 20. Moscow maintains that attacks in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics were intended to disrupt voting.
The most extensive wave of attacks was reported on September 20, the main voting day. Russian authorities said Moscow and the surrounding region came under a major drone assault, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries as well as damage to residential buildings, industrial facilities and logistics infrastructure. International reporting confirmed fatalities and damage in the Moscow region, including damage to residential property and an oil refinery, while hundreds of residents were evacuated from an affected building.
Russia’s Defence Ministry reported intercepting a very large number of Ukrainian drones during the attacks. Figures released by Russian authorities during the rapidly developing operation varied, however, and independently establishing the precise number of drones and missiles involved remains difficult.
Ukraine has described its broader long-range strike campaign as an effort to weaken Russian military and energy infrastructure supporting Moscow’s military operations. Kyiv rejects the legitimacy of Russian elections conducted in Ukrainian territories controlled by Moscow. Russia, meanwhile, maintains that attacks during the election period extended beyond military and energy targets and directly affected civilian and electoral infrastructure.
According to Miroshnik, at least 8,889 munitions were directed at civilian facilities on Russian territory between September 14 and 20, averaging more than 1,250 strikes per day. He said the highest numbers of civilian casualties were recorded in the Belgorod, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Moscow and Rostov regions. These aggregate figures originate from Russian official reporting and have not been independently confirmed in full.
The latest accusations underscore the growing civilian impact of long-range warfare as both Russia and Ukraine increasingly employ drones and missiles far beyond the immediate front line. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of attacks affecting civilians, while independently verifying casualty figures and the intended targets of individual strikes remains difficult amid the continuing conflict.
