Today, a Russian airfield near the Ukraine border is engulfed in flames following a third alleged drone strike in only two days.
Oil tankers at an airbase near the Russian city of Kursk were on fire Tuesday morning after another suspected Ukrainian drone strike
Tuesday morning, oil tankers on a base outside the city of Kursk, around 100 kilometers from the border, were on fire and billowing smoke into the sky.
The source of the fire is unknown at this time, but it occurred just one day after two similar explosions destroyed airbases in Saratov and Ryazan, which the Russian defense ministry blamed on Ukrainian drones.
These attacks on Engels-2 airfield and Dyagilevo airbase destroyed two nuclear-capable bombers believed to be preparing an assault on Ukraine, killed three ground crew members, and injured two more.
Smoke fills the dawn sky in Kursk, a Russian city 60 miles from the Ukraine border, after a suspected strike on an airbase there
Russian military bloggers have speculated that the strikes were conducted with a converted Tupolev Tu-141 Strizh, a Soviet surveillance drone from the Cold War, although this has not been proven.
Images of the Engels and Dyagilevo sites have surfaced, with images from Dyagilevo depicting a nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bomber with a damaged tail.
Under its wing, a Kh-22 missile is apparently poised for an attack on Ukraine.
This means that the presumed drone operation thwarted at least one of the barrage of missiles Russia has launched into Ukraine in recent days in an apparent attempt to disrupt power and other key supplies in an assault believed to be directed at people.
This incident resulted in the deaths of three and a number of injuries.
Video shows flames lighting up the night sky near Kursk after a suspected Ukrainian strike on a Russian airbase – the third in two days
Satellite photos also revealed the presence of evidence of fire near a Tu-22M bomber.
Two strategic Tu-95 bombers were allegedly damaged during an attack on the Engels airfield in the Saratov area.
The apparent range of Ukrainian drones within Russia has enraged pro-war commentators in Moscow, who have questioned the effectiveness of air defenses.
Sergei Mardan, military columnist for major newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, requested retaliation attacks.
“How do we assist Kursk? Only with an attack on Kiev, he said.
A subordinate of Vladimir Putin, the governor of the Kursk area, Roman Starovoyt, stated: “An oil tank is on fire due to a drone strike near the Kursk airbase. There have been no fatalities. The fire is being contained at now.”
All emergency services are present at Kursk-Vostochny airport, which is often utilized for both civilian and military aircraft.
Since the beginning of the conflict, no civil planes have left this airport.
Russia asserts that Ukraine launched the assaults using Soviet Tu-141 Strizh spy drones.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the drones were destroyed by air defenses, although falling debris caused damage to aircraft on the ground.
Tu-95 bombers (left) and Tu-160 aircraft (right) were photographed close to long containers (center) that analysts believed to be likely cruise missile ammo canisters.
»ANOTHER Russian airbase has been attacked by a ‘Ukraine drone strike.’«