Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack targeting Moscow and its surrounding region on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections, officials said Sunday. The assault reportedly killed at least three people and inflicted damage on one of Russia’s key oil industry facilities, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy identified the use of the Pelican weapon in the operation, initially thought by some to be a short-range ballistic missile but later described by several sources as a winged drone. Precise details about the weapon were not provided by the Ukrainian president, leading to speculation in Ukrainian media before more cautious assessments emerged.

In addition to the Pelican, Ukraine utilized domestically produced Flamingo cruise missiles to strike Moscow. This long-range missile system has previously been employed to target locations deep inside Russian territory and has sufficient range to reach the capital city. Debris from what is claimed to be a Flamingo missile was reportedly found in the Moscow region and shared on Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels, though independent verification was not available. Ruslan Leviev, head of the open-source investigative group Conflict Intelligence Team, suggested the debris likely originated from a Flamingo missile.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the city’s air defenses intercepted over 1,600 drones, including approximately 450 aimed at Moscow. However, such figures have often been viewed as inflated. Sobyanin accused Ukraine of deliberately attempting to disrupt the country’s three-day parliamentary election, which is expected to solidify President Vladimir Putin’s 26-year hold on power. “The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed,” Sobyanin said on Telegram.

At least three fatalities occurred during the attacks, including a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man in separate incidents, while a drone crash caused a fire in a 21-story residential building, leading to the evacuation of about 400 residents, according to Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov. The origin of the drone involved in that incident was not specified.

Kyiv has intensified its campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russian targets in recent months, focusing particularly on energy infrastructure, which is a crucial source of revenue for Moscow’s war effort. These operations have significantly damaged oil refining capacity across Russia, resulting in fuel shortages, price spikes, and long lines at gas stations spanning multiple time zones.

Sobyanin confirmed that an oil refinery facility in Moscow had sustained damage from the attack, but no casualties were reported at the site, and emergency services responded promptly. The refinery had been targeted in previous Ukrainian strikes.

Initial reports identified the Pelican weapon as the FP-7, a long-range drone and missile developed by Fire Point, a leading Ukrainian defense manufacturer. Later assessments suggested it was a different long-range drone. Fire Point is also developing the FP-9, which has an estimated range exceeding 500 miles, allowing future strikes on Moscow. A test flight is reportedly planned for later this autumn.

These attacks occurred amid heightened international attention following U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement earlier Monday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities. The timing also coincided with Russians beginning to vote on Friday in parliamentary elections largely restricted to pro-Kremlin parties, with voting organized even in occupied Ukrainian territories. Though a clear victory for Putin’s United Russia party is widely expected, the election serves as an indicator of domestic support for the ongoing war.