1 injured in Russian factory blast, initial signs point to drone: Official

An explosion overnight at a Russian factory injured at least one person, with preliminary assessments pointing to a drone crash, local authorities said on Sunday.

Aleksandr Brechalov, head of the Republic of Udmurtia (Udmurt), said on Telegram they got a report in the morning of an overnight explosion at a factory in the region's administrative capital Izhevsk, about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Russia's border with Ukraine, and some 968 km (601 mi) east of Moscow.

Saying that according to initial assessments a drone crashed in the factory, Brechalov stated there was no serious damage besides broken windows.

All emergency services are working at the scene of the blast, he added.

"The (factory) personnel was evacuated. Unfortunately, one person was injured," he said, adding that the person was hospitalized in moderate condition.

Brechalov later reported that after examination, the person was released by authorities for outpatient care.

Ukrainian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied any involvement in the blast.

In recent months, Kyiv has been pushing for carrying out more strikes on deep into the territory of Russia, which began a war on Ukraine in February 2022.