A tense week in Russia: 349 seats, hundreds of drones and new developments on the front

Throughout the week, the Russian media focused on the results of the State Duma elections, large-scale drone attacks by Ukraine targeting Russian regions, as well as military and diplomatic developments.

TodayPress TV reports that the official election results have been announced.

According to the Central Election Commission, the United Russia party won a record 349 seats and will head more than 20 committees in the new convocation. President Vladimir Putin thanked voters and said that the opposition had failed in its attempts to disrupt the electoral process. Speaking to journalists in St. Petersburg, Putin also addressed the issue of talks with Ukraine. He noted that all peace proposals remain on the table, but Moscow will determine its next steps solely based on its own interests. Putin claimed that Kyiv had organized attacks on Moscow and polling stations during the elections.

During this period, drone attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine attracted particular attention. According to the Defence Ministry, more than 645 drones were destroyed on the night of September 25–26. The attacks targeted the Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov and Tula regions, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, Crimea and other regions. Three people were killed and two injured in the Krasnodar Territory, while fires broke out at industrial facilities. In the Rostov Region, five people, including a child, were injured. On some days, the number of downed drones approached 600, while temporary restrictions were imposed at airports.

At the same time, the Russian army continued its advance in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions. The Defence Ministry said that the settlements of Petropavlivka, Lozova and Maryino had been brought under control. Strikes were carried out against military and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Europe of disrupting peace talks in his address to the UN General Assembly and also met with the German Foreign Minister.

Other significant developments included the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s “Interaction-2026,” “Search-2026” and “Echelon-2026” exercises, the Finance Ministry’s proposed budget package, and a draft reform of jury trials.

Turkan Iskandarli