A Ukrainian drone strike has sparked a fire at a military airfield in Russia’s Saratov region, injuring at least two individuals, local authorities reported on Thursday.
Governor Roman Busargin confirmed via Telegram that residents from a nearby farming co-op were evacuated for safety following the fire at the Engels airfield. The Engels-2 airfield, a base for Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, is located approximately 500 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border and 730 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The airfield has been targeted multiple times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Astra, a Telegram news channel covering military events, shared images showing thick smoke rising from the Engels area, around 10 kilometers west of the airfield. Busargin described the drone strike as the “largest ever” in the Saratov region since the war began. He also mentioned that additional attacks hit the regional capital, Saratov, causing property damage, though no casualties were reported.
In Engels, damage was reported at a hospital, two kindergartens, a school, and at least 30 homes, according to both Busargin and Russian investigative sources.
