Three Russian soldiers were killed on Monday after a Ukrainian drone was shot down by air defenses as it approached a military airfield in Saratov Oblast, according to Russian state news agencies, citing the Defense Ministry. .
CNN has been unable to independently verify Russian reports that the drone was intentionally shot down and did not reach its intended target.
is here what do we know so far About the event:
where it happened: It took place in the western port city of Engels, located on the Volga River, about 500 miles (over 800 kilometres) southeast of Moscow.
Why this is important: It is the second such attack on the city, which houses the Engels-2 military airfield, a strategic bomber airfield, this month.
Investigation continues: Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Basargin said on Monday that law enforcement agencies are now investigating the incident at the airspace. The comment, posted on his official Telegram channel, came after reports of an explosion in the city circulated. He added that “there was no emergency in the residential areas of the city” and that no civilian infrastructure had been damaged. Expressing his condolences to the families of the soldiers, he said that the government would provide assistance to them.
What Ukraine is saying: In comments on Monday, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat did not claim direct responsibility for the drone but suggested the attack was “the result of what Russia is doing.” He said: “If the Russians thought that the war would not affect anyone in the deep rear (of Russia) or anywhere else, they were very mistaken. Therefore, as we see, such things are happening more and more often , and let’s hope that this will only benefit Ukraine.Earlier this month a similar incident happened in the same region.
Here’s what happened earlier this month: Earlier this month, CCTV footage showed an explosion in the sky in Engels. At the time, Gov. Busargin also reassured residents that no civilian infrastructure had been damaged and that “informations of incidents at military facilities are being investigated by law enforcement agencies.” He acknowledged that information about “a loud bang and explosion in Engels in the early hours of the morning” was being spread on social networks and the media. Engels-2 airfield is about 6 kilometers (over 3 miles) from where the CCTV footage was recorded in early December.