Ukrainian drone attacks rattle Russia: Military sites and airports under rising siege
The Ministry of Defense reported that four unmanned aerial vehicles in the Rostov, Tula, and Kaluga regions were slated to be destroyed. The authorities in the Voronezh region mentioned that one of the drones crashed there overnight from Wednesday to Thursday into the roof of a non-residential building. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries.
Previously, on Tuesday night, Ukrainian drones had carried out an unsuccessful attack on a military airport in the city of Engels, located in the Saratov region. According to reports by ASTRA on their Telegram channel, two drones were shot down, with their debris falling within the airport premises.
Major Russian base comes under attack
The Engels-2 Base, the sole location in Russia where Tu-160 strategic bombers are held, used to carry out bombings of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, was targeted, according to independent media.
Over the recent months, there has been a significant increase in air raids using drones on military, industrial, and technological targets across Russia, which Moscow attributes to Kyiv. Independent experts highlight that these drone attacks, of which at least some are conducted from within Russian territory, are increasingly targeted at locations far removed from Ukraine. In late August 2023, a military airport in Pskov, situated approximately 435 miles from Ukraine's borders, was attacked.
Drones consistently appear over Moscow and surrounding areas, leading to airspace closure over local airports.
In December 2022, the air bases in Engels and Ryazan were victim to Ukrainian attacks. As noted by the American newspaper, The New York Times, these were the "most audacious" Ukrainian operations using drones since the war's onset in February 2022.
