Ukrainian drone hits a plant deep inside Russia after record Russian drone attacks in June

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian industrial plant some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, a local official said Tuesday, after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prioritized the weapon's development and Russia pounded Ukraine with a monthly record of drones in June.

Both sides in the more than three-year war following Russia's February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have raced to improve drone technology and enhance their use on the battlefield. They have deployed increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones, turning the war into a testing ground for the new weaponry.

Ukraine is under severe strain from a Russian push at places on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, but analysts say its defenses are largely holding firm. With recent direct peace talks delivering no progress on U.S.-led international efforts to halt the fighting, Russia and Ukraine are bulking up their arsenals.

Russia last month launched 5,438 drones at Ukraine, a new monthly record, according to official data collated by The Associated Press.

Ukraine is stepping up drone production

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone hit an industrial plant in Izhevsk, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of Moscow, killing three people and injuring 35, Alexander Brechalov, head of the Udmurtia region, said. The plant's workers were evacuated, he said.

The drone struck the Kupol Electromechanical Plant, which produces air defense systems and drones for the Russian military, according to an official with Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU.

At least two direct hits were recorded on the plant's buildings, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Ukraine has for months been using domestically produced long-range drones to strike plants, storage sites and logistical hubs deep inside Russian territory. In May last year, a Ukrainian drone hit an early-warning radar in the Russian city of Orsk, some 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Kyiv officials claimed.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine's domestic production of drones is about to increase in response to Russia's expanded barrages.

''The priority is drones, interceptor drones and long-range strike drones,'' he said on Telegram late Monday.

''This is extremely important,'' he added. ''Russia is investing in its unmanned capabilities, Russia is planning to increase the number of drones used in strikes against our state. We are preparing our countermeasures.''

Russia's Defense Ministry said that 60 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight over several regions, including 17 over Crimea, 16 over the Rostov region and four over the Saratov region.

At the same time, four Russian Shahed drones struck the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzia during the night, leaving more than 1,600 households without power, according to authorities.

Ukraine's air force said Tuesday that Russia fired 52 Shahed and decoy drones at the country overnight.

US envoy criticizes Russian attacks

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, rebuked Russia for continuing to strike civilian areas of Ukraine while effectively rejecting a ceasefire and dragging its feet on a peace settlement.

''We urge an immediate ceasefire and a move to trilateral talks to end the war,'' Kellogg said on the social platform X late Monday. ''Russia cannot continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine.''

Ukraine is developing its own defense industry as uncertainty remains over whether the Trump administration will continue to provide crucial military aid.

Between March and April, the United States allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support.

Europe continues its support and for the first time since June 2022 surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday held their first direct telephone in almost three years.

The two leaders discussed the Iranian-Israeli war and the American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a statement on the Kremlin's website said. Putin and Macron also talked about a peaceful settlement to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the Russian president stressing that any agreements should ''be comprehensive and long-term'' and ''based on new territorial realities,'' the Kremlin statement said.

Macron's office said that the French leader underlined ''France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity'' and ''called for a ceasefire to be established as soon as possible'' so that peace negotiations can be launched.

The two presidents last held direct talks in September 2022.

___ Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report from Paris, France. ___

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine