Satellite imagery has confirmed extensive damage to ammunition storage facilities at the Engels-2 strategic bomber base, located approximately 600 km from Ukraine. The destruction follows a powerful drone attack carried out by Kyiv earlier this week.
The strikes on Engels-2 and other cross-border targets highlight Ukraine’s continued efforts to weaken Russia’s military infrastructure deep within its borders amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Engels-2, home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, has been a frequent target, with this marking the third attack this year alone, following two strikes in January. The base is crucial to Russia’s airstrike capabilities, as its strategic bombers are responsible for launching missile attacks on Ukrainian territory. It is likely that Kh-101 cruise missiles were among the munitions destroyed in the recent assault.
On 20 March, sources from Ukraine’s Security Service stated that drone pilots and Special Operations Forces executed the strike on Engels-2 airfield in Russia’s Saratov Oblast the previous night. The impact of the attack became evident when satellite images from Maxar Technologies, shared by Business Insider and journalist Mike Eckel of Radio Liberty on 21 March, provided visual confirmation of the extensive damage.
The images revealed widespread destruction in the ammunition and weapons storage area, with multiple buildings and bunkers reduced to rubble. All warehouse structures in the storage zone were obliterated, while several craters marked the locations of open platforms previously used for ammunition storage. Fire damage was also apparent in the surrounding territory.
Local residents reported hearing powerful explosions early in the morning of 20 March, with some blasts audible as far as Saratov city, roughly 15 km from the base. Videos circulated online later in the day captured secondary detonations of ammunition, which reportedly continued for several hours.
The Russian governor of Saratov Oblast acknowledged the attack in a Telegram post, describing it as "the most massive UAV attack of all time" following the overnight assault. Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its forces had intercepted and shot down 134 drones overnight across multiple regions.
This was not the first major assault on Engels-2 or its related infrastructure. In January, Ukrainian drones targeted aviation fuel storage facilities supporting Russian strategic bombers. The first strike of the year occurred on 8 January, when explosions rocked the Rosrezerv Kristal plant’s oil depot at around 3 a.m., sparking a fire that raged for five days.
Less than a week later, on 14 January, drones returned to deliver additional strikes, igniting another blaze. The January attacks were conducted by Ukraine’s 14th Separate UAV Regiment, a unit within its Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with other defense teams.
As Ukraine continues its strategic operations against key Russian military assets, the repeated targeting of Engels-2 underscores Kyiv’s commitment to disrupting Russia’s airstrike capabilities and degrading its ability to wage war.
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