The Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian drone that approached an airbase in Russia on Monday, making it the second time the site has been targeted since the beginning of the month.
The Russian Defense Ministry said three servicemen from the Engels base, which houses bombers that were used during the invasion of Ukraine, died due to falling debris.
According to the Russian media Baza, four people were injured and a fire broke out. In a video posted on Telegram, you could see explosions and hear sirens.
No Russian planes were damaged during this incident, according to the Ministry of Defense. It was not immediately possible to confirm whether the drone had been launched from Russia or Ukraine.
The Engels base is located in the Saratov region, more than 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The mere fact that a Ukrainian drone was able to reach this place demonstrates a certain weakness in the Russian air defense.
As usual, kyiv did not confirm being the author of this attack on the Russian base, but a government spokesman nevertheless affirmed, in a television interview, that he there are “consequences to Russian aggression”.
Russia has been the target of several attacks on its territory as well as in Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. These incidents have prompted many Russian bloggers to harshly criticize the country’s air defense methods.
On the battlefield
Luhansk region governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian troops withdrew from their military command post, which was located in Kreminna, as Ukrainian forces were approaching it. This city was almost completely controlled by Moscow.
Mr. Haidaï estimated, in a televised interview, that the Russian forces are taking “heavy losses” in the region and that the “medical facilities are overloaded with wounded soldiers”.
In the neighboring region of Donetsk, partly occupied by the Russians, vigorous clashes continue in the city of Bakhmout. Russia has been trying for months to seize this city to consolidate its hold on the east of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned last week that Bakhmut was the hottest spot on the 1,300 kilometer front line.
Bombings
Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Kherson region have meanwhile been shelled 33 times in the past 24 hours, according to the local governor. No deaths were reported.
On Sunday, Russian forces attacked the town of Kramatorsk, where Ukrainian troops are gathered. Three missiles hit a commercial building and damaged residential buildings.
On Saturday, a strike on the city of Kherson, which was taken over by Ukraine last month, left scores dead and injured. Governor Yaroslav Yanouchevych pointed out that people are lining up to donate blood to help the injured.