putin’s Election Begins—Ukraine Makes the War Impossible to Ignore (video commentary)

09/18/2026

Russia’s elections have begun, but Ukraine is making the war increasingly difficult for Putin to hide from Russian voters.

In this video, I examine a major overnight Ukrainian drone operation against Russia. Open-source tracking estimated that approximately 410 drones were moving into Russian territory, including toward Moscow Oblast. Rostov came under another large-scale attack, energy infrastructure was hit, and a critical processing unit at the Yaroslavl refinery reportedly stopped operating.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that 629 Ukrainian drones were intercepted. That figure sharply conflicts with the open-source estimate of approximately 410, although the numbers may cover different reporting periods or categories.

Ukraine also reported strikes against the Saki Airfield, an Orion drone ground-control station, a UAV launch facility, ammunition storage, and Russian logistics depots.

I then compare Ukraine’s attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure with Russia’s continuing strikes on Ukrainian residential buildings, schools, medical facilities, shops, and other civilian locations. Finally, I examine battlefield evidence suggesting that Russian forces are struggling in areas where Moscow expected to advance.

Putin may be able to control the election. Controlling what Russian voters see and understand about his war is becoming much harder.