Three killed in Ukrainian drone attack on central Russia

 

A video that was verified by the BBC and shared on social media showed an explosion on the roof of a factory building. Three people have been killed and 45 injured following an attack by Ukraine on a factory in the city of Izhevsk - more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the border - Russian authorities say.

 Of those injured six had suffered serious injuries, the governor of Udmurtia Aleksandr Brechalov said, adding he had briefed President Vladimir Putin on the attack.  A state of emergency was later declared in the region.

 The Kupol Electromechanical Plant, a military facility that is said to produce Tor surface-to-air missile systems and radar stations, was reportedly the target of drone attacks. The plant also specialises in the production of Osa air defence systems and has developed drones, according to Ukrainian media.

 An Ukrainian official confirmed to BBC Ukraine that two long-range drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Kupol plant from a distance of around 1,300 km (807 miles).

 "Each such special operation reduces the enemy's offensive potential, disrupts military production chains and demonstrates that even deep in Russia's rear, there are no safe zones for its military infrastructure," the source said in comments reported by Ukrainian media.

 A video that was shared on social media and verified by the BBC showed an explosion on the roof of a building, followed by a large plume of black smoke rising above a chimney that looked like one used in factories. Russia's civil aviation regulator Rosaviatsia imposed restrictions on operations at Izhevsk airport, before lifting them a few hours later.

 A map showing parts of Russia and Ukraine marking Moscow, Kyiv and Izhevsk, the latter includes a red box with text stating: ‘Drones hit the plant about 1,300km (800 miles) from Ukraine.'  The map highlights areas of southern and eastern Ukraine under Russian military control and the region of Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014.

 This is second Ukrainian drone attack on the Kupol factory since November - although that strike had not resulted in any casualties.

 For its part, Moscow continues to carry out attacks in Ukraine.  At the weekend Russia launched a record 537 drones and missiles on various locations across the country, including Kyiv and the western city of Lviv.

 Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, presented the Hero of Ukraine posthumously to Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, an F-16 pilot who died while attempting to repel the aerial attack, on Monday. In a separate development on Tuesday, President Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held their first phone talks in more than two years.

 Macron "emphasised France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", said a statement from his office.

 According to the French statement, the French leader also called for a ceasefire and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine "for a solid and lasting settlement of the conflict." Meanwhile, a Kremlin statement said that Putin "reminded that the Ukrainian conflict is a direct consequence of the policy of Western states, who for many years ignored Russia's security interests".

 The Russian statement stated that any peace agreement must be "comprehensive and long-term," eliminate "the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis," and be based on "new territorial realities." In February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow currently controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the 2014 annexation of the southern Crimea peninsula. On the battlefield, while Russia's advance on the Sumy region seems to have stalled, Moscow appears to be targeting the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.  Unconfirmed reports in Russian media suggested Moscow's forces took control of the first village in the region.

 Two rounds of talks aimed at agreeing a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow have taken place at the behest of Donald Trump since May, but have failed to produce tangible results.

 Last week, Putin said Russia was ready to hold a new round of peace negotiations although he said that the Russian and Ukrainian peace proposals were "absolutely contradictory".

 On Monday, Zelensky again expressed scepticism of Putin's intentions.  "Putin has already stolen practically half a year from diplomacy... on top of the entire duration of this war," the Ukrainian leader said.

 "Russia is not changing its plans and is not looking for a way out of this war.  On the contrary, they are preparing for new operations, including on the territory of European countries."

 US senior envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg echoed this on Monday, when he wrote on X that Russia could not "continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine".

 Moscow quickly responded, thanking the United States for their support and stating that it was not "interested in stalling anything."