0652GMT//Pro-EU party wins Moldova election despite Russian interference; Kremlin propagandist dies; Russian paralympians back in favour
MOLDOVA ELECTION: Maia Sandu's pro-EU party won a parliamentary election in Moldova despite alleged Kremlin vote-buying tactics. With 99.5% of the vote counted, media is reporting that Sandu's Action and Solidarity party has won 50.03%, compared to 24.26% for a pro-Russia bloc. (COMMENT: Even if the majority is paper-thin, this is still a remarkable win for Sandu, as most analysts had predicted that she would fail to win any sort of majority. There were plenty of vote-buying accusations ahead of the election, and one party, the pro-Kremlin Great Moldova party, was disqualified for taking money from Russia. The Orthodox Church in Moldova was also accused of taking cash from the Russian Orthodox Church to pump out propaganda. Pro-Kremlin propaganda channels are claiming that Sandu's party failed to win a majority and was, therefore, defeated.)
RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE: A Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine killed at least four people in Kyiv over the weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukrainian sources said that the attack lasted hours and involved "several missiles" and 600 drones. Russian officials said that a Ukrainian attack using US HIMARS long-range artillery struck a thermal power station in Belgorod, southern Russia near the border with Ukraine. (COMMENT: The scale of the Russian attack on Ukraine, and the continued cruelty and cynicism of the Kremlin, is staggering. The Kremlin has increased its drone strikes on Ukraine throughout the year. 600 drones is a massive barrage and highlights how Russia has boosted its drone production.)
QUEUES FOR PETROL: There have been plenty more photos published since Friday of cars queuing outside petrol stations in Russia as fuel shortages spread. (COMMENT: The photo at the top of this memo shows a queue forming outside a Lukoil petrol station near Lipetsk, central Russia. Reports have said that shortages for Ai92 and Ai95 fuel have been affecting independent retailers and not the main brands, such as Lukoil.)
KREMLIN PROPAGANDIST DIES: Tigran Keosayan, a 59-year-old filmmaker and pro-war propagandist, died on Friday morning. He had a history of ill health and had been in a coma since January. Vladimir Putin called Keosayan a person of "unique talent". It is unusual for Putin to comment on a death. (COMMENT: Keosayan was the husband of Margarita Simonyan, the head of RT, which is one of the Kremlin's main propaganda channels. Together, they were something of a pro-war/pro-Kremlin propaganda power-couple. Keosayan will be remembered for calling for Russian soldiers in 2022 to invade Kazakhstan after Ukraine.)
VETERANS ELECTED: More than 1,000 veterans of Russia's war in Ukraine won seats in regional assemblies at elections earlier in September, Ella Pamfilova, the chairman of Russia's Central Election Commission, said on Friday. Most of these men were elected through Putin's United Russia party, although some also won seats with the Communist Party and other pro-Kremlin political parties. (COMMENT: This is all part of Putin's 'Time of Heroes' programme, which looks to promote veterans of his war in Ukraine. It's a way of showing people that fealty to the Kremlin and its war generate personal advancement and rewards.)
RUSSIAN PARALYMPIANS BACK IN FAVOUR: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags for the first time since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Previously, they had only been allowed to compete as individuals under a neutral flag. (COMMENT: This makes the IPC the first major sporting body to reinstate Russia as a full member since its invasion of Ukraine.)
DRONES SPOTTED NEAR DANISH AIR FORCE BASE: Drones were spotted near Danish and Norwegian air force bases on Friday evening. There have been a series of drone-spotting incidents near main airports in Denmark and Norway, too, over the past week. Officials have privately blamed Russia, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement.