Strategic Russian air field depot on fire after drone attack on Russian regions

A strategic oil depot for the Engels-2 air base is on fire in Russia’s Saratov Oblast after a night drone attack that targeted 11 regions, Russian media and authorities report.

The oil storage facility, named Kristall, provides fuel for Russian jets launching missile attacks against Ukraine. Although Ukrainian authorities had not yet taken responsibility for the attack 600 km from Ukrainian borders, it is most likely another episode in Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign against Russian military objects, undertaken amid the ban of Ukraine’s Western partners on using Western missiles deep in Russia.

Locals shared photos and videos of the fire on social networks; the fire was also confirmed by Rostov Oblast governor Roman Busargin, who said that an industrial area is ablaze due to falling wreckage of drones shot down in the night attack.

The Russian Telegram channel Astra reported that the fire is located at the Kristall oil storage facility of the Engels-2 airfield.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian air defense assets shot down a total of 32 drones overnight, including 11 over the Saratov Oblast. Four drones were reportedly destroyed each over the Kursk and Rostov oblasts and the Sea of Azov, three each over the Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts, two over the Krasnodar Krai and one over the Volgograd Oblast.

The Engels-2 airbase is a key element of Russia’s war against Ukraine, serving as a base for missile strikes from long-range bombers such as the Tu-95MS and Tu-160. Since the full-scale invasion, Engels-2 has been a launchpad for Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles, targeting Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians from secure locations deep within Russian territory.

Despite its strategic importance, Engels-2 has proven vulnerable. Ukrainian drone strikes have successfully targeted the airbase, causing damage to Russian strategic bombers and exposing weaknesses in Russia’s air defense systems:

5 April 2024: Ukraine executed a coordinated drone assault on multiple Russian airbases, including Engels-2. The attack reportedly resulted in significant damage to three Tu-95MS bombers, with one bomber destroyed and two others damaged but repairable. This operation is considered one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks to date.

20 March 2024: Ukrainian military intelligence launched a drone strike on the Engels-2 Airbase. The operation involved Ukrainian-made “Fierce” kamikaze drones, which reportedly performed effectively. Specific details regarding the extent of damage were not disclosed.

26 December 2022: Explosions occurred at Engels-2 Airbase around midnight, resulting in the deaths of three technical personnel. Russian authorities claimed that a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the airfield. Reports on the extent of damage to aircraft were conflicting, with some sources indicating damage to bombers, though these claims were not independently verified.

5 December 2022: A Ukrainian drone attack targeted Engels-2 Airbase, reportedly damaging two Tu-95 bombers. The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that Soviet-made jet drones attempted to strike long-range aviation bombers stationed at the base but were intercepted by air defense systems. Satellite imagery later revealed at least one Tu-95MS bomber with visible damage.

Euromaidan Press