According to the Russia’s defence ministry, Ukrainian drone that was shot down and fell on a military post deep within Russia resulted in the deaths of three Russian military personnels.
“On December 26, at about 01:35 Moscow time, a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region,” the Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday.
“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.”
Aviation-related equipment was not harmed, the ministry added. Civil infrastructure facilities were not harmed in the event, according to Roman Busargin, the governor of the Saratov region, earlier on Monday.
The airfield, which is close to the city of Saratov, is located about 450 miles (or 730 kilometres) to the southeast of Moscow, far from the front lines of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. However, it was also struck on December 5 in what Moscow claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on two Russian air bases that day.
According to analysts, the twin strikes severely damaged Moscow’s reputation and made it seem as though its defences were weak.
Although Ukraine has never openly claimed responsibility for strikes within Russia, it has remarked that such events constitute “karma” for Russia’s invasion.
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Both sides have begun to use drones as a primary weapon in the fight. Iran has been charged by Ukraine of providing drones that Russia used to strike civilian facilities, notably in Kyiv, the country’s capital.
Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based at the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which has been attacked by Ukraine using drones from the sea and the air, in addition to taking aim at Russian air bases outside of Crimea.
