The Ministry of Information and Press of the Saratov Region announced the activation of the air raid alert on the evening of December 26, with the increase in combat readiness.
“On the evening of December 26, signals of air raids came in the city of Engels, Saratov region. Siren turned on to increase combat readiness”
– the department quotes the words of the head of the department for the life safety of the population of the regional government, Yuri Yurin.
On the night of December 26, an air raid alert was also raised in Engels when a Ukrainian drone tried to attack an airbase near the city.
The equipment was not damaged. three people died
On the night of 26 December, Saratov media reported an incident in Engels that triggered an air raid alert. The governor of the region, Roman Busargin, assured on the Telegram channel that there is no emergency in the residential areas of the city and that there is no threat to the residents.
“Civil infrastructure facilities were not affected. Information about the incident at the military facility is being checked by law enforcement officers,” he wrote.
The governor also described “stories about the evacuation of the city” as a flagrant lie created “far beyond the country’s borders”.
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian drone as it approached the airfield near Engels.
“At around 01:35 Moscow time on 26 December, a Ukrainian drone was shot down from low altitude while approaching the Engels military airbase in the Saratov region through the anti-aircraft defense of the Russian Aerospace Forces,” the Defense Ministry said. Ministry reported.
As a result of the falling debris, three Russian soldiers from the airspace technical personnel were fatally injured. The ministry declared that the aviation equipment was not damaged.
Busargin later offered his condolences to the families of the victims and promised to provide them with all necessary assistance.
Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces were deployed at the airport.
not for the first time
On the morning of December 5, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to hit the Diaghilevo airfields in the Ryazan region and the Engels airfields in the Saratov region with drones.
First, citing sources, RIA Novosti and TASS reported an explosion at an airport near Ryazan. First, a fuel truck was reported on fire. The interlocutor of the RIA stated that there were about three dead and six wounded, TASS – about five wounded.
The Russian Defense Ministry later said, “Three Russian technical soldiers at the airport were mortally wounded,” and noted that four soldiers were injured.
The ministry did not specify at which of the two airports the victims were located. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense noted that the enemy UAVs interfered with the Russian air defense systems, but the wreckage of the crashed drones damaged the skin of the two planes.
In response to the attack, the ministry announced that the Russian Armed Forces dealt a major blow to the Ukrainian military command and control system. “All 17 identified objects were hit,” the Department of Defense said.
That day, residents of the Saratov region also reported a flash and explosion in the area of the airbase near Engels. Governor Busargin reassured residents that “no emergency has occurred in the residential areas of the city” and that “not a single civilian infrastructure facility was damaged”.
Responsibility for the attack
Ukraine has not formally claimed responsibility for the 26 and 5 December attacks. However, regarding the incident at the beginning of the month, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, said, “If you launch something too often into the airspace of other countries, sooner or later unknown aircraft will return to the place of departure.”
On December 7, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington was not helping Ukraine attack Russian territory.
“We do not encourage the Ukrainians to attack Russian territory and we do not give them the opportunity to carry out such attacks,” he said.
Bloomberg quotes him.
On the same day, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit described Russian airfields as legitimate targets and said Ukraine “does not have to limit” its actions to its own territory, as Ukraine has the legal right of self-defense. UN Charter.
On December 11, White House National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said the United States is not “forced” Ukraine to conduct operations inside Russia and is merely helping Kiev defend “its own territory”.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.