Ukraine's drone strikes during the Russian election were justified

An ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that was sparked with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, resulting in widespread casualties, displacement and significant geopolitical consequences for Europe and the world.

Ukraine's drone warfare covers Ukraine's use of unmanned aerial systems during the Russia-Ukraine war. It includes long-range attacks against Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, military facilities, logistics infrastructure and Black Sea assets, as well as operations in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Subtopic also covers changes in the scale and geographical reach of Ukraine's drone campaign, Russian interception claims and countermeasures, and the military and economic effects of repeated strikes.

Russia began a three-day election for all 450 seats in the State Duma on 18 September 2026, its first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin presented participation as evidence of national unity and support for the war, while the ruling United Russia party was expected to retain control after most anti-war candidates were excluded. Russia also organised voting in Crimea and the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Ukrainian territories whose annexation is not internationally recognised. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the election through attacks in occupied areas, while Ukraine denounced the process as an illegitimate “pseudo-election”. Final results were not available when voting began.