A drone attack on Russia’s Engels-2 air base, more than 350 miles from the nearest Ukrainian controlled territory, left three servicemen dead, according to Russian authorities.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said a Ukrainian drone was shot down by air defenses, at around 1:35 a.m. local time on Monday morning. Debris from the drone then killed three Russian military personnel, according to the official report, with no damage to any aircraft.
Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, hinted at Kyiv’s involvement in the attack.
Speaking to Ukrainian media outlet Gazeta.ua he said: “These are the consequences of what Russia is doing on our land. If the Russians thought that the war would not affect them deep in the rear, then they were wrong.
“Such things are happening more and more often, and we hope that it will only benefit Ukraine.”
A number of videos have been posted on social media, purporting to show the explosion. They have not been independently verified by Newsweek.
Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov Oblast which includes the Engels-2 air base, paid tribute to the dead and insisted there is “absolutely no threat to residents” living in the nearby town of Engels itself.
On social media a number of experts questioned whether the drone had been downed by Russian air defence, as reported by Moscow.
Radio Free Europe reporter Mark Krutov tweeted what he said was footage of the attack, adding: “Doesn’t look like something have been ‘shot down’ by Russian air defense.”
Responding to the official Russian statement, Ukraine analyst Andrew Perpetua sarcastically wrote: “Magic air defense kicks in right before impact?”
Engels-2 is the base for a number of Russia’s Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, which have been taking part in the attack on Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion began on February 24.
The base was previously hit by a drone on December 5, in an attack that killed three servicemen and slightly damaged two aircraft, according to Russian officials.
On the same day, a separate explosion hit a Russian airbase near the city of Ryazan, south of Moscow, which officials also blamed on a Ukrainian drone.
Ukraine didn’t officially claim responsibility for this attack, but a Ukrainian official told The New York Times the drone had been launched from his country.
The official Ukrainian Air Force Twitter account tweeted two photos purportedly showing a damaged aircraft and vehicle following the December 5 attack on Engels-2. They added “What happened?,” followed by a party face emoji.
Speaking to the Financial Times following the attacks, a Ukrainian defense official said: “The attacks are repeatable.
“We have no limitation on distance and soon we will be able to reach all targets inside Russia, including in Siberia.
“In Ukraine, we know how hard it is to defend against these kinds of air attacks. Soon Russia will also have no safe zones.”
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with drones and missiles over the past few months, causing millions of Ukrainians to lose power as temperatures plummeted.
On Christmas Eve, Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson region left 16 dead, and dozens injured, according to the local Ukrainian governor.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has been contacted for comment.
