Engels airfield attacked by SBU and SOF drones, while Russian air defenses were hitting civilian objects
In a coordinated operation, drones from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Special Operations Forces targeted the Engels airbase in Saratov Oblast, a critical hub for Russia’s strategic aviation, overnight into March 20, hromadske’s source in the SBU has said.
Later, this was also officially confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The SBU source told hromadske that the base houses Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers, along with stockpiles of FAB and KAB bombs and cruise missiles—aircraft and ordnance regularly used to strike Ukraine.
The source reported that the strike sparked a fire near the airfield, accompanied by audible explosions and secondary detonations of munitions.
However, Russian air defenses proved “ineffective,” mistakenly firing missiles into civilian buildings and infrastructure in Engels and Saratov, exacerbating local damage.
Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin called it the region’s “most massive UAV attack ever,” noting damage to homes and a hospital, and later confirming a blaze at the airbase that prompted evacuations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it downed 132 Ukrainian drones nationwide that night, including 54 over Saratov Oblast, though it offered no specifics on the airbase’s status.