Day 555 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Drones Attack Moscow and Kurchatov, Early Vote in Occupied Regions

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Day 555 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• A Russian missile hit a private enterprise in central Ukraine
• Ukrainian drones hit the city of Kurchatov
• Ukraine calls the occupied Ukrainians - do not vote
• Putin and Erdogan will talk in Sochi on September 4, the Kremlin confirmed

A Russian missile hit a private enterprise in central Ukraine

Russian forces struck a private enterprise with a long-range cruise missile in central Ukraine's Vinnytsia region, injuring three people, Ukrainian officials said, as cited by Reuters.

"Unfortunately, there are victims - three civilians, they are being given all the necessary help," Governor Sergey Borzov wrote on Telegram, adding that unspecified property and cars were damaged.

Kyiv's air force said it shot down a second missile fired as part of the nighttime attack. The missile was shot down over the central Kirovograd region, the local governor reported on Telegram.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, has been conducting regular airstrikes on Ukrainian centers far from the front lines. Moscow says its strikes are only aimed at reducing Ukraine's ability to fight.

Earlier in the week, Ukraine reported the biggest Russian missile and drone attack on the capital in months.

Ukrainian drones hit the city of Kurchatov

Two Ukrainian drones attacked Kurchatov in the Kursk region early today, Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram.

The drones damaged an administrative building and a residential building, no injuries were reported.

Starovoit did not publish photos from the place.

There is a nuclear power plant in the city of Kurchatov.

This morning, a Ukrainian drone was also aimed at the capital Moscow, which was shot down by the Russian air defense, announced the mayor of the capital, Sergey Sobyanin, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.

According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage in the incident.

Ukraine calls the occupied Ukrainians - do not vote

The Ukrainian authorities called on the residents of the territories occupied by Russia not to participate in the scheduled elections in four regions annexed by Russia last year, Radio Freedom reported.

On September 10, Russians are organizing a vote for local government in dozens of Russian regions, including the Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts.

In Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk (or as the Russians call it - "DPR"), early voting, according to the Russian election commissions, began on August 31. It is said to be taking place in "hard-to-reach areas" as well as in populated areas near the front line. Neither Zaporizhzhia nor Donetsk Oblasts are fully controlled by Russia: some of their territories are under the control of Ukraine. At the front, active fighting is taking place in both areas.

Russian-formed election commissions claim that election commission members "come to voters' homes" to exercise their right to vote. Reuters reports that in Mariupol, temporary polling stations are being set up right in the courtyards - as in a number of places during the vote on amendments to the Russian constitution in 2020.

The Ukrainian Center for National Resistance confirmed on Thursday that members of the commissions, accompanied by Russian soldiers, are visiting the homes of residents of the occupied territories - just as they did last September during the so-called "referendums" that were not recognized by most countries in the world.

"We urge Ukrainians not to open their doors to the occupiers and, if possible, to leave the region or their homes for the period of 'early voting'," the Center said in a statement, quoted by the BBC.

In the four annexed regions, the Russian authorities imposed martial law. The electoral law was specifically amended to allow voting there in such a situation. The lists of candidates for Putin's United Russia party are headed by Kremlin-appointed heads of regional administrations. There is no independent monitoring of the vote.

Putin and Erdogan will talk in Sochi on September 4, the Kremlin confirmed

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on September 4. This was announced to journalists by the spokesman of the Russian head of state, Dmitry Peskov, confirming previous unofficial information about this date, TASS reported.

"Indeed, the talks will take place on Monday, they will take place in Sochi, they will be in the middle of the day," the Kremlin spokesman said.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders after Russia's withdrawal from the so-called grain deal. The last time they met in person was on October 13 last year in Astana, and the last time the Turkish leader was in Russia was a little over a year ago, when he spoke with Putin in Sochi on August 5, TASS reminds.

Meanwhile, however, the presidents of Russia and Turkey are in constant contact. They last spoke on the phone on August 2.

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