Three Killed in Drone Attack on Factory in Central Russia

Three Killed in Drone Attack on Factory in Central Russia

A video posted on social media and verified by the BBC showed an explosion on the roof of a factory building.

The plant is reported to specialise in the production of Osa air defence systems and has developed drones, according to Ukrainian media.

Drones reportedly targeted the Kupol Electromechanical Plant, a military factory said to produce Tor surface-to-air missile systems and radar stations.

According to the governor of Udmurtia, Aleksandr Brechalov, six of the injured individuals sustained serious injuries. He stated that he had informed President Vladimir Putin about the attack. A state of emergency was later declared in the region.

Russian authorities reported that three people were killed and 45 injured following an attack by Ukraine on a factory in the city of Izhevsk, located more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the border.

Russia's civil aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, imposed restrictions on operations at Izhevsk airport, which were lifted a few hours later.

A video posted 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 over a factory chimney.

"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 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).

This is the second reported Ukrainian drone attack on the Kupol factory since November. The previous incident did not result in any casualties.

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

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded the Hero of Ukraine to Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, an F-16 pilot who was killed while responding to the aerial attack.

In a separate development on Tuesday, President Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first phone conversation in over two years.

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

The French leader also called for a ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia "for a solid and lasting settlement of the conflict", the statement said.

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".

Any peace settlement must be "comprehensive and long-term" and should address "the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and be based on new territorial realities", the Russian statement said.

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

On the battlefield, Russia's advance on the Sumy region appears to have stalled, while Moscow is reportedly targeting the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. Unconfirmed reports in Russian media suggested that Moscow's forces took control of the first village in the region.

Two rounds of talks aimed at agreeing to a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow have taken place at the request of Donald Trump since May, but have not produced tangible results.

Last week, Putin stated that 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 expressed scepticism regarding 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, commented on Monday that Russia could not "continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine".

Moscow responded, stating it was not "interested in stalling anything" and thanked the US for its support.