DOMINANT ANGLE
Santiago is gauging the unprecedented scale of the Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, which occurred on the same day that Vladimir Putin's party secured victory in the Russian legislative elections.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
United Russia collects 57.31% of the vote according to the CEC's initial official results (17.05% of the ballots counted), compared to 49.4% given by a VCIOM exit poll.
- 02
Over 1,600 Ukrainian drones have targeted Russia, including around 450 in Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin; the Gazpromneft-Moscow refinery, which supplies 40% of the city's fuel, caught fire.
- 03
Regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov reports at least two dead and 400 people evacuated after a drone hit a residential building on the outskirts of Moscow.
ANALYSIS
Santiago, September 21, 2026. Chilean media first took note of the unprecedented scale of the Ukrainian drone offensive against Moscow, which occurred on the last day of a legislative election that the Kremlin is already claiming as a victory. According to the initial official results published on Sunday by the Central Election Commission (CEC), with 17.05% of the votes counted, United Russia, Vladimir Putin's party, garnered 57.31% of the vote — a score that a VCIOM exit poll had estimated at 49.4%. The Communist Party followed with 13.89%, ahead of the ultranationalist LDPR (9.29%), the liberal New People (7.97%), and Fair Russia (5.09%). Turnout exceeded 56%, a level higher than the 2016 and 2021 elections, according to BioBioChile; for electronic voting, which the opposition considers an "instrument of fraud" according to the same media outlet, United Russia obtained 49.06% of the vote. Dmitry Medvedev, the party's leader, hailed the citizens' unwavering trust; Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assured that the country's diplomatic line would not change and that Moscow had rejected Western attempts to present the vote as undemocratic.
On the same day, Kiev launched what Russian authorities describe as the largest drone attack ever carried out against the capital: over 1,600 devices, including around 450 targeting Moscow, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who spoke of an "unprecedented attack". The Gazpromneft-Moscow refinery, which processes 12 million tons of oil per year and supplies 40% of the city's fuel, caught fire; a residential building was hit on the outskirts, forcing the evacuation of 400 people. Regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov reported at least two fatalities. Volodymyr Zelensky claimed a "very significant impact" on the Moscow region and mentioned the use of a recently designed Ukrainian ballistic missile, which the manufacturer Fire Point denied could have reached Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Kiev of trying to disrupt the democratic will of the voters and announced an intensification of its bombing of Kyiv. In the Kherson region, another drone targeted a bus, killing two people, including an employee of the election commission.
SOURCES (2)
- La TerceraMEDIUM
- BioBioChileMEDIUM
