Both sides in the more than three-year war following Russia's February 2022 invasion of its neighbour 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 front line, but analysts say its defences are largely holding firm. With recent direct peace talks delivering no progress on US-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

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone hit an industrial plant in Izhevsk, about 1,000 kilometers 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 defence systems and drones for the Russian military, according to an official with Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU