MOSCOW Three Russian soldiers were killed and four others injured in a drone strike launched by the Russian Federation on Monday, April 26 Ukraine against the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region of Russia, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The attack highlighted Russia’s vulnerability, as Ukraine seems increasingly willing and able to attack inland targets.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia said in a statement quoted by the state news agency TASS that a Ukrainian drone was shot down “at low altitude” and three of its soldiers were killed by its debris. According to the ministry, aircraft at the base were not damaged by the attack.
Last week, President of Ukraine Volodmir Zelenskyy he was received as a hero in Washington, where he asked for the delivery of even more powerful weapons.
:quality(80)/cloudfrontuseast1.images.arcpublishing.com/estadao/HWA2XJTRQZAQDKA33VVJTP6CPI.jpg "Three Russian soldiers have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory 3")
Satellite image shows Engels Air Force Base after Ukrainian drone attack
This isn’t the first drone attack on the base. On December 5, two Russian aircraft were damaged over Engels. A military airport in Ryazan, 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow, was also attacked on the same day.
Ukrainian authorities have never confirmed the use of drones against Russia and have always taken an ambiguous position on previous attacks. However, a senior official confirmed on condition of anonymity that the drones in the first attack had been launched from Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat did not directly acknowledge his country’s involvement in Monday’s attack on Engels, but said it was a result of Russian aggression. “If the Russians thought that the war would not affect their backs, they were dead wrong,” he added.
The Ukrainian government has publicly pursued a policy of deliberate ambiguity over the bombing of Russian territory, which began with a Ukrainian helicopter attack near Belgorod in the first month of the war.
Yesterday’s attack on a strategic Russian facility raised questions about the state of Russia’s armed forces and air defenses. “The war, as it should, has opened our eyes to many things,” wrote Alexander Khodakovski, the proRussian military commander of a separatist formation in Ukraine, on his Telegram channel, a popular messaging app. “Now we understand that we are vulnerable,” he said. “Otherwise it would be possible to remain in our illusions indefinitely until something more serious hits our heads.” NYT and AP