DOMINANT ANGLE
Ankara is first taking note of the unprecedented scale of the Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, which occurred on the same day as the Russian legislative election, more so than the announced victory of United Russia.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to Daily Sabah, at least two people were killed in Moscow and two others in the Russian-held Kherson region, including an election official.
- 02
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, quoted by Cumhuriyet, reported that more than 1,600 drones were shot down in all regions since the previous day, including 450 approaching Moscow.
- 03
Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyev reported that a drone killed a 44-year-old woman in Sofyino and that a fire caused by another drone in Ramenskoye led to the evacuation of 400 people, including 70 children.
ANALYSIS
Ankara, September 21, 2026. Turkish media are devoting most of their coverage to the Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, which occurred on Sunday, the last day of the Russian legislative election. According to Daily Sabah, at least two people were killed in Moscow and two others in the part of the Kherson region held by Russia, including an election official. A facility at Moscow's oil refinery, which had been targeted in the past, was damaged again.
The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, quoted by Cumhuriyet, mentions "the largest enemy drone attack ever repelled" and claims that "more than 1,600 drones have been shot down since yesterday in all regions, including 450 approaching Moscow." He adds: "This unprecedented attack was clearly planned to disrupt the elections. The enemy did not succeed."
The Governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyev, quoted by the same newspaper, specifies that air defenses destroyed or neutralized 249 drones in 17 districts between 3 and 5 am local time. In the Ramenskoye district, a drone caused a fire on the roof of a 21-story building, leading to the evacuation of 400 people, including 70 children. In the Sofyino district, a drone hit a three-story building: a 44-year-old woman died, and five people were injured, including two children.
Daily Sabah puts this offensive in the context of the first legislative election since the outbreak of war in February 2022. The ruling United Russia party is expected to easily retain its majority in a system that critics consider impervious to any real opposition. Turnout exceeded 45% on Sunday morning, according to Ella Pamfilova, the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission. Most anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballots; those from the liberal Yabloko party, who hoped to capitalize on the weariness with the conflict, say they fear for their freedom after two party leaders were sentenced to long prison terms before the vote.
The two Turkish titles treat the electoral sequence as a backdrop to the military event, the scale of which - unprecedented according to the Russian authorities themselves - dominates their respective reports.
