On Monday morning, three Russian servicemen were killed when a Ukrainian drone was shot down as it approached the Engels Air Base, deep inside Russia. The base is home to the Russian Air Force’s long-range strategic bombers that have been used to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Russian news outlets, citing ministry of defense officials, reported that planes were damaged in the strike.
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“A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” the defense ministry said via a statement, adding, “Three Russian servicemen of the technical staff who were at the airfield were fatally wounded as a result of falling drone wreckage.”
However, there have been claims on Russian and Ukrainian social media that a number of planes were damaged or even destroyed. Western media has been unable to independently verify those reports.
New Strike on Russia from Ukraine
The base, which is located near the city of Saratov, about 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, had been attacked earlier this month by Ukrainian drones. Video footage of that attack, which had been widely shared on social media, showed an explosion that lighted up the sky at the base.
The type of drone used on Monday hasn’t been identified, but in the previous drone attacks, Kyiv’s forces utilized a Tupolev Tu-141S, which was developed during the Cold War for photo-reconnaissance missions for the Soviet Air Force. It had been last used in the 1980s in Afghanistan.
What it lacks in sophistication, it clearly makes up for in speed. Able to fly 600 miles per hour, it is also large enough that by removing the camera, it could be packed with explosives – transforming it into a crude but effective cruise missile.
Hundreds of Russian Soldiers Killed on Christmas
The attack on the Engels Air Base also came a day after several hundred Russian soldiers were killed and at least five tanks destroyed. Fighting didn’t cease for the Christmas holiday and there were no signs of any cease-fires reminiscent of the 1914 Christmas Truce on the Western Front during the First World War.
Death certainly didn’t take a holiday either.
Approximately 550 Russian troops were killed on Christmas Day and in the hours of Boxing Day. According to figures from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian death toll now stands at 102,600. Moscow has not confirmed the losses, and since launching its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has largely downplayed the number of Russian soldiers killed. In September, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that 5,937 troops had been killed since the war began.
The news of the losses comes following a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said in a Sunday broadcast that the vast majority of Russians would be willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.
“As for the most – 99.9% – of our citizens, our people that are ready to sacrifice everything for the Motherland, it doesn’t strike me as unusual,” Putin noted, adding, “But it just reassures me yet again that Russia is a special country and it has special people.”
Putin had also suggested that Ukraine is unwilling to begin peace negotiations, stating in a state TV interview over the weekend, “It’s not us who refuse talks, it’s them.”
Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
