Downed Ukrainian drone claimed lives of three soldiers
2022.12.28 11:26
Downed Ukrainian drone claimed lives of three soldiers
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – On Monday, Russia claimed that it had killed three members of its air force when it shot down a Ukrainian drone inside its own territory, close to one of its long-range bomber bases.
Long-range strategic bombers that may have been used to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are based at Russia’s Engels air base, so it is said that the drone was flying near the base. In a statement seen by Russian news outlets, the defense ministry said that the incident did not result in any damage to aircraft.
However, unconfirmed accounts on the social media platforms of Ukraine and Russia reported that a number of planes had been destroyed. Those reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.
One of two strategic bomber bases houses Russia’s ability to deliver nuclear weapons by air. It is close to the city of Saratov, about 730 kilometers (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, and hundreds of kilometers away from the front lines in Ukraine.
Ukraine, which has never publicly claimed responsibility for attacks inside Russia but calls them “karma” for Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, did not immediately respond.
Russia stated at the time that Ukrainian drones attacked the same base earlier this month.
According to a statement released by the defense ministry on Monday, “A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region.”
“As a result of falling drone debris, three Russian technical staff members who were at the airfield sustained fatal injuries.”
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Russia has between 60 and 70 Tu-95MS Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber aircraft. In addition to conventional weapons, both can carry nuclear bombs and cruise missiles with nuclear weapons.
In what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation,” it has degraded Ukraine’s military potential by firing cruise missiles from its air force. Russia has been compared to a terrorist state by Kyiv, which has claimed that such attacks constitute war crimes.
The earlier strike on the same base on Dec. 5 and the subsequent attack on another base on the same day shocked Russian commentators and raised questions about the effectiveness of Russian air defenses.
They stated on social media that if Ukraine could strike that far inside Russia, it might also be able to strike Moscow.
Prior on Monday, Roman Busargin, legislative leader of the Saratov district, said that common framework offices had not been harmed in the most recent episode at the base, which he said the specialists were examining.
Busargin stated, “There is absolutely no threat to residents… Facilities for civil infrastructure were not damaged.”
