Russia escalates strikes

[Anchor]

In response to the U.S. pressure for a ceasefire, Russia has escalated its offensive, announcing that it has destroyed Ukraine's Patriot missile launchers.

It has also revealed a secret drone production facility.

This can be interpreted as a show of confidence, indicating that the initiative is in our hands and that we are ready to respond if challenged.

This is Song Young-seok reporting from Berlin.

[Report]

Russia has unveiled a drone factory, claiming it to be the largest in the world, which has been operating in secrecy until now.

A person under U.S. sanctions made a surprise appearance to boast about its production capabilities.

[Timur Shagivaleyev/Russian Drone Factory Manager: "Initially, we planned to produce thousands of Geran drones, but now we are producing nine times more than that."]

Russia has also stated that it has destroyed Ukraine's "lifeline," the Patriot air defense missile launchers.

It added that hypersonic "Kinzhal" missiles were used in the operation.

At a time when NATO member countries, including the U.S., are intensifying discussions on military support for Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, this can be seen as a response to Western actions and a display of confidence that they have the capability to respond as needed.

Following U.S. President Trump's pressure for a ceasefire within 50 days, Russia has been increasing its offensive with a barrage of drones and missiles.

[Boris Pistorius/German Defense Minister: "Together we have to stop this war machine by joining forces to support Ukraine with all our might. Dragging out the war will come at an ever higher cost to him."]

Ukraine is also responding by sending drones to Moscow, but it is insufficient to change the atmosphere.

Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to resume peace negotiations in Turkey tomorrow local time.

Although this is their first meeting in seven weeks under U.S. pressure for a ceasefire, the general expectation is that they will likely only confirm their differences in positions once again.

This is Song Young-seok from KBS News in Berlin.