Independent

Russia’s ruling United Russia party is on track to comfortable win a parliamentary election with 57.5 per cent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said on Sunday. Nearly 14 per cent of the votes have been counted in an election that president Vladimir Putin has cast as a test of support for the Ukraine war. But critics argue the elections show little in terms of the popularity of the current regime, amid allegations of vote-rigging and the banning of opposition parties that are genuinely anti-Putin. Ukraine denounced the election as illegal because it included residents of regions Moscow has illegally annexed from Ukraine to tighten Putin’s 26-year grip on power. It comes after two people were killed after Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight. Moscow’s mayor described the wave of drones as the “largest ever” attack on the Russian capital, setting alight an oil refinery and a residential building. Across the wider Moscow region, the attack killed two people and wounded 20, local Governor Andrei Vorobyov said. A 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were killed, he said. Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@independent Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/the.independent/ X (Twitter) / https://twitter.com/Independent Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations