MOSCOW: Russia said it was targeted by a wave of Ukrainian drones on Sunday, as thousands headed to the polls for a final day of elections set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule.
Queues of people were also seen forming outside polling stations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg at noon, when Russia's opposition called for people to collectively spoil their ballots or vote against Putin.
The three-day vote had already been marred by a surge in fatal Ukrainian bombardment, incursions into Russian territory by pro-Kyiv sabotage groups and vandalism at polling stations.
Ukrainian drones attacked at least eight Russian regions overnight and on Sunday morning, with some reaching as far as the Moscow region, the defence ministry said.
Three airports serving the capital briefly suspended operations following the barrage, while a drone attack in the south sparked a fire at an oil refinery.
In the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, where voting is also taking place, "kamikaze drones" set a polling station ablaze, according to Moscow-installed authorities.
The defence ministry said it had "intercepted and destroyed 35 unmanned aerial vehicles" across the country.
There were repeated acts of protest in the first days of polling, with a spate of arrests of Russians accused of pouring dye into ballot boxes or arson attacks.
Before his death in an Arctic prison last month, opposition leader Alexei Navalny urged Russians to collectively vote at noon in a protest the opposition dubbed "Midday Against Putin".
Reporters saw an increase in people queuing outside polling stations at midday in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Ukraine has repeatedly denounced the elections as illegitimate and a "farce", and urged Western allies not to recognise the result.
Russian state media have played up recent gains on the front and portrayed the conflict as a fight for survival against attacks from the West.
Moscow has also sought to press its advantage on the front line as divisions over Western military support for Ukraine have led to ammunition shortages, although Kyiv says it has managed to stop the Russian advance for now.
In Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed 21 people including rescue workers responding to an initial hit.
In Russia's border city of Belgorod, Ukrainian shelling killed a 16-year-old girl and wounded her father, the region's governor said Sunday.
The governor has ordered the closure of shopping centres and schools in Belgorod and the surrounding area for two days because of the strikes. — AFP
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