Three Russian soldiers killed by wreckage of downed Ukrainian drone

Three Russian military personnel were killed early on December 25 by falling wreckage of a Ukrainian drone that was shot down as it was attacking a base in Russia’s Saratov region, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry.

It was the second attack on the base this month.

“A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” news agencies reported the Russian ministry as saying, South China Morning Post reports.

“As a result of the fall of the wreckage of the drone, three Russian servicemen of the technical staff who were at the airfield were fatally wounded.”

The airbase, near the city of Saratov, about 730 km southeast of Moscow, was hit on December 5 in what Russia said were Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian airbases that day.

Engels airbase, which is at least 600 km from the nearest Ukrainian-held territory, has housed bomber planes that are part of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

The strikes earlier this month dealt Moscow a major reputational blow and raised questions about why its defences failed, analysts said, as attention turned to the use of drones in the war between neighbours.

Ukraine has previously demonstrated the ability to strike strategic Russian targets far beyond the 1,100 km-long frontline in south and eastern Ukraine.