Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia’s Engels strategic bomber base, triggering a significant explosion and fire, according to Russian officials. The airbase, located about 700 km from the front lines, houses Russia's nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-160 bombers, known as "White Swans."
Video footage circulating on Russian Telegram channels showed a large explosion that destroyed nearby cottages. A separate verified video showed a plume of smoke rising above the damaged area.
Roman Busargin, the governor of Russia’s Saratov region, confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack in Engels, stating that an airfield was on fire and that residents in the vicinity had been evacuated. However, he did not explicitly mention the Engels base.
The head of Engels district, Maxim Leonov, announced a local state of emergency but provided limited details. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm the full extent of the incident.
The Engels airbase has been a target of Ukrainian attacks since December 2022. In January, Ukraine claimed to have hit an oil depot supplying the base, igniting a massive fire that lasted five days.
A Ukrainian security source also alleged that a previous drone strike had destroyed a storage facility containing guided bombs and missiles.
Meanwhile, Ukraine also launched an attack on an oil refinery in Syzran, located in Russia’s Samara region. Regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed the strike but reported no casualties.
He did not specify whether the refinery sustained damage, though Russian Telegram channels Baza and Mash claimed the attack sparked a fire.
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that its air defence systems intercepted 132 Ukrainian drones across various regions, including Bryansk, Tatarstan, Tula, and the Black Sea.
The escalating drone warfare marks another chapter in Ukraine’s ongoing campaign to disrupt Russia’s military and energy infrastructure.
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