Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia’s Engels air base on Thursday, igniting a massive explosion and fire nearly 700 km (435 miles) from the war’s front lines. The airfield, located in the Saratov region, houses Russia’s Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers, commonly known as “White Swans.”
Explosion at Engels Air Base
Video footage circulating on Russian Telegram channels, verified by Reuters, showed a towering plume of smoke rising from the explosion site, with nearby cottages visibly damaged. Russian officials confirmed a drone attack on Engels but provided limited details on the extent of the damage to the strategic airfield.
Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov, stated that a Ukrainian drone attack had set an airfield ablaze, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents. Engels district head Maxim Leonov declared a local state of emergency. However, Reuters was unable to independently confirm the full impact of the strike.
Ukraine has previously targeted Engels air base, with attacks dating back to December 2022. In January, Kyiv claimed to have struck an oil depot servicing the base, leading to a massive fire that burned for five days. A Ukrainian security source at the time reported that a drone strike had also hit a storage facility containing guided bombs and missiles.
Ukraine Strikes Oil Refinery in Syzran
In a separate attack, Ukraine targeted an oil refinery in Syzran, located in Russia’s Samara region. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, the regional governor, confirmed the strike, stating that emergency services were responding but that no casualties had been reported. While he did not specify whether the refinery was damaged, Russian Telegram channels Baza and Mash reported a fire at the facility.
Russia Claims to Have Downed 132 Drones
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that air defence systems had intercepted 132 Ukrainian drones across various regions, including Bryansk, Tatarstan, Tula, and the Black Sea. Additionally, the ministry reported the destruction of nine Ukrainian drones overnight.
As Ukraine continues its long-range drone strikes deep into Russian territory, tensions between the two countries remain at a boiling point. While the full extent of the damage from the latest strikes is yet to be assessed, Ukraine’s attacks on critical Russian military and energy infrastructure mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
Sources By Agencies
