Russia-Ukraine War Day 1,463: Seven Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strike on Russian Factory

Seven people have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a fertiliser factory in Russia's Smolensk region, according to reports from Russian state media, as the conflict between the two nations continues with no sign of abating.

The attack on the PAO Dorogobuzh factory also left ten people injured, Smolensk regional governor Vasily Anokhin confirmed via the Russian social media platform Max. Anokhin described the facility as a civilian enterprise.

The strike came as Ukrainian forces intensified their drone operations against Russian targets, while Russia maintained its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. In the past 24 hours, Russian attacks have claimed lives across multiple Ukrainian regions.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, four people were killed as Russian forces launched a staggering 643 air attacks on 32 settlements in the region, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Two additional people were injured in the strikes.

Further south, Russian attacks on the Kherson region killed one person and wounded eleven others, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. The assaults caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including three high-rise residential buildings, a water tower, a telecommunications tower, and a gas pipeline.

Russia also reported casualties on its side, with one person killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the village of Markovo in the Kursk region, according to regional governor Alexander Khinshtein.

The ongoing violence comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism that upcoming trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, scheduled for March, could create opportunities to elevate discussions to the leaders' level.

Following a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy stated that direct leadership engagement would be essential to resolving the complex issues and finally ending the war.

The Ukrainian president also dismissed Russian claims that Kyiv is attempting to obtain nuclear weapons, characterising such allegations as an attempt to exert pressure during ongoing peace negotiations. Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear arsenal in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In a significant development, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that authorities had secured the return of eleven South African men who had reportedly been lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The case highlights concerns about the methods being used to recruit foreign fighters for the conflict.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed the Ukraine crisis during talks in Beijing. China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasising that consistent dialogue and negotiation, including accommodation of legitimate concerns from all parties, represents the key to finding a solution.

The conflict has also created tensions within the European Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to block a 90-billion-euro EU loan for Kyiv and vetoed a new round of sanctions against Russia, accusing Ukraine of disrupting Hungary's energy system. Orban has demanded the resumption of oil shipments through the damaged Druzhba pipeline, which was hit in a Russian attack in January.

Ukraine has stated that repairs to the pipeline cannot be completed quickly due to ongoing Russian attacks in the region.