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MOSCOW: Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding dozens in one of the deepest strikes inside Russia of the three-year conflict, authorities said.
Izhevsk, more than 1,000 kilometers (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 defense 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.
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 defense 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.

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural session of the Indonesia-Saudi Supreme Coordination Council this week, his first official trip to �������� since taking office, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

The leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, who became president last October, left Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon for a three-day trip to the Kingdom. He is accompanied by Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar. 

Prabowo is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Wednesday, the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“This state visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and ��������, particularly in strategic sectors, such as cooperation in economy and investment, energy security, and cooperation to serve Indonesia’s Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. The meeting will also be used as an avenue to discuss current regional and global issues, especially developments in the Middle East.” 

The coordination council was established in October 2023 by the crown prince and former Indonesian President Joko Widodo to align the strategic priorities of the two countries. 

From its first meeting, Indonesia is expecting “a number of deliverables in the form of MoU (memorandum of understanding), including between governments and businesses,” the foreign affairs ministry said. 

Jakarta has in recent years sought to enhance trade ties with Riyadh and gain a greater presence in the Middle East. 

Bilateral ties have traditionally focused on Hajj and Umrah as Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, sends the largest Hajj contingent of pilgrims every year. 

Indonesian and Saudi officials have been in talks to explore untapped potential in commerce, as trade and investment ties have been on the rise. Non-oil trade was worth about $3.3 billion in 2024, showing a 14.5 percent increase compared to 2020.

As part of the Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar Al-Khorayef’s visit to Jakarta in April, the Saudi Export-Import Bank and its Indonesian counterpart signed an agreement aimed at strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries. 

Al-Khorayef also signed a memorandum of understanding with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to boost cooperation in the mining and minerals sector. 

Indonesia holds the world’s largest nickel reserves and has rich deposits of other minerals, including copper and bauxite. In 2023, its mining sector accounted for about 11.9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.