Ukraine carried out a significant drone strike on Thursday night, hitting an oil refinery in the town of Engels in Russia’s Saratov region, which resulted in a large fire at the facility. The attack took place near the Engels-2 air base, a key strategic site for the Russian Air Force.
Footage shared by local residents on the Telegram platform and circulated by independent Russian media, including the Astra channel, captures flames shooting into the sky following the assault, with reports indicating damage to nearby residential buildings.
Roman Busargin, the Governor of Saratov Region, stated that the fire occurred at an “industrial facility,” without specifying which one, while confirming that emergency services were mobilized. Fortunately, there have been no reported casualties.
Russia’s federal aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, imposed flight restrictions at Saratov airport due to potential drone threats.
This strike on the refinery highlights a prior attack on the same facility, known as the Kristal Plant, which is believed to supply fuel to the Engels-2 air base. This base houses Russian Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, which have frequently been used in extensive missile strikes against Ukraine.
The Russian authorities asserted that they shot down a total of 174 Ukrainian drones targeting 12 regional areas, including Crimea, though they provided no evidence to back this claim. This report remains unverified by the Kyiv Independent.
The attack on Engels follows shortly after a major operation by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) named Operation Spiderweb, which reportedly damaged or destroyed at least 41 Russian strategic aircraft across four bases (Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, Ivanovo), with estimated damages around $7 billion.
This operation was succeeded by attacks on the Crimean Bridge, a military base in Vladivostok, and a missile facility in Bryansk.
The Engels-2 air base, located approximately 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has been targeted consistently by Ukraine since Russia’s invasion commenced. On March 20, a Ukrainian strike reportedly destroyed 96 cruise missiles, as stated by the Ukrainian General Staff.
These increasing attacks deep into Russian territory appear designed to undermine Russian strategic air capability and diminish its ability to conduct long-range strikes against Ukraine.
Ask me anything
Explore related questions
