Ukraine hits Russian city deep behind front line, leaves three dead
Izhevsk, more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the front line, has arms production facilities including factories that make attack drones and the world-famous Kalashnikov rifle.
A Ukraine security services source said Kyiv had targeted an Izhevsk-based drone manufacturer and that the attack had disrupted Moscow's "offensive potential".
Unverified videos posted on social media showed at least one drone buzzing over the city, while another showed a ball of flames erupt from the roof of a building.
The region's head said the drones hit an industrial "enterprise", without giving detail.
"Unfortunately, we have three fatalities. We extend our deepest condolences to their families," Alexander Brechalov, head of the Udmurt Republic, where Izhevsk is located, wrote on Telegram.
"I visited the victims in the hospital. At the moment, 35 people have been hospitalized, 10 of whom are in serious condition."
Russian forces in turn struck the town of Guliaipole in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, causing "casualties and fatalities", Ukraine's southern defence forces said, without specifying numbers.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled in recent weeks.
The two sides held direct talks almost a month ago but Moscow has since stepped up deadly strikes on Ukraine.
- Moscow ramps up advance -
Kyiv's military chief vowed in June to increase the "scale and depth" of strikes on Russia, warning Ukraine would not sit back while Moscow prolonged its offensive.
Moscow's army has ravaged parts of east and south Ukraine while seizing large swathes of territory.
An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones to pressure the war-torn country's stretched air defence systems and exhausted civilian population.
Moreover, in June, Moscow made its biggest territorial gain since November while accelerating advances for a third consecutive month, according to another AFP analysis based on data from US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In another sign of an intensifying offensive, a top Kremlin-installed official claimed on Monday that Russia was now in full control of Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of dragging out the peace process -- something that Moscow denies.
"We are certainly grateful for the efforts being made by Washington and members of Trump's administration to facilitate negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump has pressed both sides to reach a ceasefire but has failed to extract major concessions from the Kremlin.
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Daily Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Daily Telegraph
Russia launches largest attack after Trump-Putin call
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Russia has launched its 'largest-ever' drone and missile attack on Ukraine just hours after President Donald Trump shared a 'disappointing' phone call with his Russian counterpart, during which 'no progress' was made to end the war. The attack – Russia's largest aerial strike since the start of the three-year invasion – saw Moscow fire a record 550 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine on Thursday night into Friday local time, according to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the Russian barrage, with air alerts beginning to echo out across the country as reports of the Presidents' call emerged. First responders work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Friday, July 4, 2025. Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP 'Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,' Mr Zelensky wrote on social media. 'All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour,' he added, urging the US in particular to ramp up pressure on Moscow. A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. Mr Zelensky said the air alerts had begun echoing out across the country as reports of the presidents' call emerged, Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP 'Complete disregard' Taking to social media after the attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha slammed Mr Putin for 'his complete disregard', saying Kyiv experienced an 'absolutely horrible and sleepless night'. 'Right after Putin spoke with President Trump. And he does it on purpose. Enough of waiting!' he wrote on X. 'Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war.' In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Overnight, Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks as concerns mount in Kyiv over the continued delivery of US military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. An AFP tally shows Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, as direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for showing 'complete disregard'. Picture: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP 'Very disappointed': Trump said he made no progress with Putin on call The strike came hours after Mr Trump said he made no progress with Mr Putin on ending the war during a phone conversation on Thursday, which left him 'very disappointed'. 'It was a pretty long call, we talked about a lot of things including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. And I'm not happy about that,' the US President told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa. Asked if he had moved closer to a deal to end the war, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I didn't make any progress with him at all.' He later told reporters on his return to Washington from Iowa: 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there.' 'I don't think he's looking to stop and that's too bad,' he added. President Donald Trump said he 'didn't make any progress with him at all'. Picture: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Mr Trump's view of the call was unusually bleak. After most of his previous five calls with Mr Putin since returning to power in January, he has given optimistic reports of progress towards a deal. But he has shown increasing frustration with Mr Putin after an early pivot towards the Russian leader. In recent weeks, he knocked back Mr Putin's offer to mediate in the Iran-Israel conflict, telling him to focus on the Ukraine war instead. The wreckage of cars following mass Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv on July 4, 2025. Picture: Oleksii Filippov/AFP In Moscow, the Kremlin said the call lasted almost an hour and said that Putin had insisted he would not give up on Russia's goals. 'Our president said that Russia will achieve the aims it set, that is to say the elimination of the root causes that led to the current state of affairs,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. 'Russia will not give up on these aims.' A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. Picture: Oleksii Filippov/AFP Moscow has long described its maximalist aims in Ukraine as getting rid of the 'root causes' of the conflict, demanding that Kyiv give up its NATO ambitions. Mr Trump's grim assessment came as US-led peace talks on ending the more than three-year-old conflict in Ukraine have stalled, and after Washington paused some weapons shipments to Kyiv. Moscow's war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it invaded in February 2022, and Russia now controls large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine. Originally published as 'Very disappointed': Putin launches largest attack on Ukraine since start of war after call with Trump
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Russia hits Ukraine with largest drone attack of the war after Putin-Trump call
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News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Very disappointed': Putin launches largest attack on Ukraine since start of war after call with Trump
Russia has launched its 'largest-ever' drone and missile attack on Ukraine just hours after President Donald Trump shared a 'disappointing' phone call with his Russian counterpart, during which 'no progress' was made to end the war. The attack – Russia's largest aerial strike since the start of the three-year invasion – saw Moscow fire a record 550 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine on Thursday night into Friday local time, according to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the Russian barrage, with air alerts beginning to echo out across the country as reports of the Presidents' call emerged. 'Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,' Mr Zelensky wrote on social media. 'All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour,' he added, urging the US in particular to ramp up pressure on Moscow. A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion. 'Complete disregard' Taking to social media after the attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha slammed Mr Putin for 'his complete disregard', saying Kyiv experienced an 'absolutely horrible and sleepless night'. 'Right after Putin spoke with President Trump. And he does it on purpose. Enough of waiting!' he wrote on X. 'Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war.' In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Overnight, Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks as concerns mount in Kyiv over the continued delivery of US military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. An AFP tally shows Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, as direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall. 'Very disappointed': Trump said he made no progress with Putin on call The strike came hours after Mr Trump said he made no progress with Mr Putin on ending the war during a phone conversation on Thursday, which left him 'very disappointed'. 'It was a pretty long call, we talked about a lot of things including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. And I'm not happy about that,' the US President told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa. Asked if he had moved closer to a deal to end the war, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I didn't make any progress with him at all.' He later told reporters on his return to Washington from Iowa: 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there.' 'I don't think he's looking to stop and that's too bad,' he added. Mr Trump's view of the call was unusually bleak. After most of his previous five calls with Mr Putin since returning to power in January, he has given optimistic reports of progress towards a deal. But he has shown increasing frustration with Mr Putin after an early pivot towards the Russian leader. In recent weeks, he knocked back Mr Putin's offer to mediate in the Iran-Israel conflict, telling him to focus on the Ukraine war instead. In Moscow, the Kremlin said the call lasted almost an hour and said that Putin had insisted he would not give up on Russia's goals. 'Our president said that Russia will achieve the aims it set, that is to say the elimination of the root causes that led to the current state of affairs,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. 'Russia will not give up on these aims.' Moscow has long described its maximalist aims in Ukraine as getting rid of the 'root causes' of the conflict, demanding that Kyiv give up its NATO ambitions. Mr Trump's grim assessment came as US-led peace talks on ending the more than three-year-old conflict in Ukraine have stalled, and after Washington paused some weapons shipments to Kyiv. Moscow's war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it invaded in February 2022, and Russia now controls large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
