Ukraine on Thursday (Mar 20) struck a strategic Russian bomber airfield in Engels with drones. The massive attack triggered a huge blast and fire about 700 km (435 miles) from the front lines of the war, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials, as reported by Reuters.

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Videos shared on Telegram channels, which were verified by Reuters, showed a huge blast on the airbase as nearby cottages were wrecked. Some videos also showed a massive fire and thick clouds of smoke plummeting into the air in the early hours of the day.

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According to Russia’s defence ministry, the air defences shot down 132 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions.

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The base in Engels, Saratov region hosts Russia's Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, which are also unofficially known as White Swans, reported Reuters.

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Local state of emergency declared

A local state of emergency has been declared, said Engels district head Maxim Leonov. Details of the incident are not known. Ten people were injured in the attack, Reuters reported citing local officials. Some residents also found parts of Ukrainian drones in their gardens. 

Saratov governor Roman Busargin said that a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Engels resulted in a fire on the airfield. Although he did not specify which airfield, Engels base is the major one in the area. He also said that nearby residents were evacuated.

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The Ukrainian defence ministry said that its forces had attacked the airfield and triggered secondary detonation of ammunition. Russia had used the Engels base, which dates back to Soviet times, to carry out strikes on Ukraine, according to Kyiv.

Not the first attack on Engels air base

Ukraine has also targeted the Engels air base previously in December 2022. In January, Kyiv claimed it struck an oil depot that served the base. The attack caused a massive fire that took five days to put out.

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At that time, a drone attack had struck a storage facility holding guided bombs and missiles at the Engels base, Reuters reported citing a Ukrainian security source.

(With inputs from agencies)