Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian strategic bomber airfield Thursday with drones, causing a powerful explosion and fire approximately 700 km from the war’s front lines, according to officials from both countries.
Reuters-verified videos captured an enormous blast radiating from the airfield, damaging nearby cottages. Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 132 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.
The Engels base, dating to Soviet times, houses Russia’s Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers, unofficially known as “White Swans.”
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack on Engels that left an airfield burning and necessitated evacuating nearby residents, though he didn’t specifically name the Engels base.
Ukraine’s defense ministry stated its forces had hit the airfield, triggering secondary ammunition detonations. Kyiv claimed Russia had used the base for strikes against Ukraine.
Local officials reported ten people injured. Some residents discovered Ukrainian drone parts in their gardens. According to the Shot Telegram channel, Ukraine employed PD-2 and Liutyi drones in the attack.
Engels district head Maxim Leonov declared a local state of emergency but provided few details. Reuters couldn’t independently verify what occurred at the airfield.
This isn’t Ukraine’s first strike on Engels. Previous attacks date back to December 2022. In January, Ukraine claimed to have hit an oil depot serving the base, causing a massive fire that burned for five days.
A Ukrainian security source said that a January drone attack targeted a storage facility containing guided bombs and missiles at the Engels base.
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