Hundreds of Ukrainian drones struck the Moscow region overnight on September 20, 2026, damaging an oil refinery in Kapotnya and forcing the evacuation of a residential building in Ramenskoye, as Russia's three-day State Duma election came to a close.
On the night of September 19-20, 2026 — the final day of Russia's three-day State Duma parliamentary elections, the first held since the February 2022 full-scale invasion — hundreds of Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted or shot down since Saturday, September 18, including 450 aimed at Moscow specifically on that final night. He accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the vote and said the attempt had failed. A facility at the Gazpromneft-Moscow oil refinery in the capital's Kapotnya district was damaged and caught fire. Two people were killed in the Moscow region, and around 400 residents, including roughly 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-story residential building in the Ramenskoye district after it was damaged by falling drone debris.
The three-day vote for the State Duma, regional governors and local legislatures was the first nationwide election in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The drone attack intensified on the final night of voting. Mayor Sobyanin called it an "unprecedented attack" that was "clearly planned to disrupt the elections," adding that the attempt had not succeeded. Ukraine's military has not officially claimed responsibility for this specific strike, which is typical for this kind of deep, long-range operation, though international wire services and Ukrainian media have widely linked it to Ukraine's ongoing drone campaign. Volunteers Support Ukraine continues to track how the war is unfolding so it can respond where help is needed most.
A facility at the Gazpromneft-Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya district was struck and caught fire during the attack. The refinery is one of Russia's largest, supplying a significant share of fuel to Moscow and the surrounding region. The exact extent of the damage was not immediately clear, though witnesses reported explosions and large plumes of smoke visible from across the city. Volunteers Support Ukraine has no role in and does not comment on the military conduct of the war; its focus remains on humanitarian relief for people affected by the conflict.
Two people were killed in separate incidents in the Moscow region — a middle-aged woman and an elderly man — after drones struck residential areas, with several other people reported injured. In the Ramenskoye district, debris from a downed drone started a fire on the roof of a 21-story apartment building, prompting the evacuation of about 400 residents, including roughly 70 children; several vehicles were also damaged. Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported on the casualties and the evacuation.
Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports near Moscow briefly restricted flight operations because of the attack. While Ukraine's armed forces did not officially claim this specific strike, international wire services and Ukrainian outlets have described it as part of a months-long Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these developments closely as part of its daily reporting for the international community supporting Ukraine.
Volunteers Support Ukraine is not involved in military operations and does not take a position on their conduct; its work is focused on humanitarian aid — supporting civilians affected by the war, equipping soldiers with essential gear, and helping families who have lost their homes or loved ones. The organization believes that keeping the international community informed about how the war is unfolding is as important as the aid it delivers directly, and it continues working every day to bring in the resources Ukrainians need most.
