Two strategic air bases, 350 km from Russia’s border with Ukraine, were attacked by drones yesterday. It was reported that two of Russia’s TU-95 type aircraft, which can also carry nuclear weapons, were damaged in the UAV attack on the Engels airbase. The other attack was Dyagilevo Airport, the base of the Moscow air defense.
While the war, which started with the occupation of Moscow against Ukraine, continued, the strategic ‘Engels’ military airbase near the city of Saratov, which is located approximately 750 km from the Russian border, was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of unknown origin. As a result of the attack on Engels, which is considered one of the main bases of Russia, two TU-95 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons were damaged. Simultaneously with the Engels airbase, a similar attack was carried out on the ‘Dyagilevo Airport’ in the city of Rezan, where the air defense of the capital Moscow is managed. It was reported that three soldiers lost their lives as a result of the explosion of the fuel tank in the area.
FLAME BALL IN THE SKY
Attacks on two strategic air bases in Russia took place simultaneously at around 06:00 yesterday morning. The explosion at the Engels base was captured by the security camera of a nearby building. After the violent explosion, a fireball rising up to the sky drew attention. Shortly after this first explosion, several more explosions were heard.
TWO AIRCRAFT DAMAGED
While the Russian Ministry of Defense preferred not to make an official statement about the attack on military air bases, it was Reported that three people were injured, according to information leaked to social media . The same sources shared the information that two strategic bombers of the TU-95 model, which were on the top at the time of the explosion, were seriously damaged.
The first official statement after the explosions came from the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin. The governor said, “The news of the explosion that took place in our region in the early hours of the morning is spreading on social media. No need to panic. No destruction or damage was detected in any civilian settlements,” he said.
STRATEGIC BASE ALSO TARGET
Immediately after the news of the shooting of the Engels base, it was announced that the “Dyagilevo” airbase in the city of Rezan, which provides the air defense of Moscow, was similarly hit. It was reported that three military personnel died and six others were injured as a result of hitting the fuel tank in the second attack, which was also carried out using UAVs. After the attacks on the bases, Russia rained missiles on Ukraine. A missile fell on the power plant of the city of Odessa, the electricity and water in the city were cut off.
RUSSIA: Kyiv ATTACKED WITH UAV
The Russian Defense Ministry blamed Kiev for the attacks. In the statement made by the ministry, it was stated that Ukraine attacked the Dyaligevo and Engels airbases with Soviet-made UAVs, the air defense systems prevented the UAVs, but the falling debris caused the explosion. According to the statement, minor damage occurred to two aircraft. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov made a statement after the attacks, without giving any details, “Russian President Putin is of course immediately aware of what is going on in our country. He sufficed with saying that he follows the developments closely.
UAVS MAY HAVE LEFT CLOSE
Defense experts stated that explosive-laden UAVs would not be able to take off from Ukrainian territory and travel 300-400 km undetected, “The drones used for the attack were probably too small. An operation carried out knowing where to hit in order for chain explosions to occur at the military base. Even unmanned aerial vehicles may have been dropped from the city of Saratov,” he predicted.
