Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Nuclear Bomber Base In "Largest Attack"

Ukrainian drones are reported to have struck a Russian strategic bomber base in the city of Engels in the Saratov region, in what has been described as the largest drone attack of the war on the area that houses the base.

Roman Busargin, the governor of Russia's Saratov region, took to social media platform Telegram on Thursday morning to confirm a major Ukrainian drone attack on the area, which is located in southern Russia...

Kyiv has said that Russian military bases are legitimate targets and its forces regularly target them using long-range drones. Attacks on Russian soil are typically claimed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

Ukrainian media reported that drones struck the Engels-2 air base, which houses Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers.

Russia's Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers are capable of carrying out nuclear and conventional long-range strikes, and have repeatedly been used by Russia's military to launch missile attacks on Ukraine.

"Today, Saratov and Engels suffered the largest attack by drones to date," Busargin wrote, noting in a separate post that a fire had broken out "on the territory of the airfield" and so residents living nearby were being evacuated.

He didn't name the Engels-2 air base specifically, but footage circulating on social media purportedly showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the base, which houses the main airfield in the area.