Russian strategic air base attacked by drones again
On the night of December 26, air raid sirens went off in the of city of Engels, Saratov region and explosion were heard at a military airfield. According to local media, area of about 120 square meters at the military air field was on fire. Three people were killed, four more were injured.
The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, was fast to reassure residents that there were no incidents in residential areas of the city.
"There is absolutely no threat to residents. All the stories about the evacuation from the city are a blatant lie created far beyond the borders of our country. Civilian infrastructure facilities were not damaged," Busargin wrote on Telegram.
Busargin did not provide any details about the explosions at the airfield where Russian strategic Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers are stationed, writing only that the facility is being inspected.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the airfield was attacked by a Ukrainian drone. According to the Ministry, there was no damage to the aircraft.
Bombers which Russia uses to attack Ukraine are stationed at this airfield. The air base was already attacked by Ukrainian drones in early December. Then, two Tu-95 missile-carrying bombers were damaged, two servicemen were wounded.
Explosions at the airfield in Engels are the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine, said the spokesman for the command of the Ukrainian Air Forces, Yuri Ignat.
"Of course, these are the consequences of Russian aggression. This is another explosion that we are already accustomed to. These are the consequences of what Russia is doing on our land. If the Russians thought that the war would not affect them in the deep rear, then they were mistaken," he said.
Later, Ignat said that there was information that pilots of strategic Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers could have been killed in the attack.
"Russians write about three dead and four more hospitalized. But there are also some reports where they write about the dead, including military pilots. If we are talking about the pilots of strategic missile carriers Tu-95 and Tu-160, then this is important information for us that needs to be considered," Ignat said.
According to Russian Telegram channels, the wreckage of the drone allegedly fell on the premises for personnel, where the pilots were located. But whether any of them died is not reported.
Answering the question about the extent of the damage at the airfield, Ignat stressed that it is necessary to wait for satellite images.