Witnesses reported a large fire at the airbase and published footage showing smoke and flames at the facility, which houses Russian strategic aviation, including Tu-95 long-range bombers.
An analysis by the independent Russian news channel Astra confirmed that the fire broke out near the Engels-2 airbase. The burning building is believed to belong to a unit of the Russian military.
The cause of the fire is not yet clear. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced a drone threat over the Saratov region overnight, but local residents said they did not hear any sounds of an attack.
Although this airbase has previously been targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks multiple times, monitoring channels suggest that the current fire may not be related to a long-range attack.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports, and neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials have yet commented on the fire at the airfield.
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Engels Air Base, also known as Engels-2, is located in the Saratov region, almost 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian front line. It houses the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.
Russia keeps a fleet of strategic military aircraft at the base, including Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 heavy bombers. All these aircraft are regularly used to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities.
The latest report of a fire came just over a week after the Ukrainian military reported on July 17 that a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber was destroyed during drone attacks on the Engels airfield.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that the aircraft sustained “critical damage.”
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