'Dead and wounded' after Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Izhevsk

MOSCOW: A Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian city more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the front line left multiple people dead and wounded early on Tuesday, the region’s governor said.

It was one of the deepest strikes into Russian territory of the three-year-old conflict.

Izhevsk, far from the battlefield in Ukraine, is home to multiple arms production facilities including a factory that makes attack drones.

Unverified videos posted on social media showed at least one drone buzzing over the city, while another showed an explosion on the roof of a large building.

The region’s governor said drones had hit an “enterprise” in the city and that several people were dead and wounded, without providing details or the number of casualties.

“Unfortunately, there are fatalities and seriously wounded people.

“They are currently receiving all necessary assistance at the hospital in Izhevsk,” Governor Alexander Brechalov wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s top military commander vowed last month to increase the “scale and depth” of strikes on Russia, saying Kyiv would not sit idly by while Moscow prolonged its offensive.

Ukraine has launched retaliatory strikes on Russia throughout the conflict, targeting energy and military infrastructure sometimes hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the front line.

Kyiv says the strikes are a fair response to deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians.