- Russia says air base targeted by Ukrainian drone
- He says he shot down the drone, without damaging any aircraft
- He says three military personnel were killed by falling debris
- There was no immediate comment from Ukraine
Dec 26 (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday it had shot down a Ukrainian drone near one of its air bases for long-range bombers inside its own territory and that three members of the Russian air force had died in the incident.
The drone was allegedly flying near Russia’s Engels Air Base where long-range strategic bombers are based that could have been used to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. No aircraft was damaged in the incident, the defense ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
Unverified Russian and Ukrainian social media accounts reported that several planes had been destroyed, however. Reuters could not independently verify these reports.
The air base, one of two strategic bomber bases that house Russia’s nuclear capability, is located near the city of Saratov, about 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometers from the front lines in Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which has never publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks on Russia but calls them “karma” for the February 24 invasion of Russia.
The same base was attacked earlier this month by Ukrainian drones, Russia said at the time.
“A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” said the Defense Ministry statement, released on Monday.
“Three Russian servicemen from the technical staff who were at the airfield were fatally injured as a result of falling drone debris.”
Russia has between 60 and 70 strategic bombers of two types: the Tu-95MS Bear and the Tu-160 Blackjack. Both are capable of carrying nuclear bombs and nuclear-armed cruise missiles as well as conventional munitions.
Moscow has used its air force to fire cruise missiles in what it calls its “special military operation” to degrade Ukraine’s military potential. Kyiv has said these attacks amount to war crimes and has compared Russia to a terrorist state.
The earlier December 5 attack on the same base, along with another attack the same day on another base, raised questions about the effectiveness of Russian air defenses and surprised Russian commentators.
If Ukraine could hit Russia that far, it might also be able to hit Moscow, they said on social media.
Earlier on Monday, Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, said civilian infrastructure facilities had not been damaged in the latest incident at the base, which he said authorities were investigating.
“There is absolutely no threat to residents… Civil infrastructure facilities were not damaged,” Busargin said.
Reporting by Lidia Kelly/Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Michael Perry and Angus MacSwan
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