Ukraine carried out a drone attack on Russia’s Engels strategic bomber base on Thursday, causing a fire and explosion about 700 km from the war’s front lines, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.
The Reuters report said a video showed smoke rising above damaged buildings. The Engels base, which has been operational since the early Soviet era, houses Russia’s Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, known as White Swans.
Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov, confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack in the city of Engels, saying it had set an airfield on fire. He added that nearby residents were evacuated but did not specifically mention the Engels base. However, it is the main airfield in the area.
Engels district head Maxim Leonov said a local state of emergency had been declared but did not give further details.
Ukraine has previously attacked the Engels air base, with incidents dating back to December 2022. In January, Ukraine claimed to have hit an oil depot serving the base, resulting in a fire that lasted five days.
Kyiv has said that Russian military bases are legitimate targets, and Ukrainian forces regularly target them using long-range drones. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) often claim responsibility for such attacks.
The Engels-2 airfield, a base for Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers, is located about 500 km east of Ukraine’s border and 730 km southeast of Moscow. The Moscow Times reported that the base has been attacked multiple times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Engels, located more than 465 miles from Ukraine’s border, is a key strategic bomber base from where Russian aircraft have launched long-range missile strikes. Ukraine has targeted the base several times, most recently in January.
US President Donald Trump had discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week.
Putin rejected a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine but agreed to a 30-day pause in strikes on energy infrastructure.