Ukraine Attacked The Russian Engels Air Base With Strategic Bombers

• 16.07.2026, 7:37

Ukrainian drones flew more than 1,000 km.

On the night of July 16, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out an airstrike on the Engels military airbase in Russia’s Saratov Region, where Tu-95MS strategic bombers that have been firing missiles at Ukraine. This was reported by “Dialog” after monitoring social media.

Air raid alerts began to be issued in regions of the Saratov Oblast after midnight. Shortly thereafter, residents of the city of Engels heard several explosions. It is claimed that drones attacked a military airbase. The video was posted by the Telegram channel Exilenova+ (warning: contains profanity!).

The governor of the Saratov Region Roman Busargin acknowledged that an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was repelled in the region on the night of July 16. He stated that infrastructure in the city of Engels was damaged, but did not provide any specific details. According to him, all emergency services are working at the scene.

The Engels Air Base in the Saratov Region is home to Tu-95MS strategic bombers, which are actively used in the war against Ukraine; therefore, it is a legitimate target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These bombers are armed with long-range cruise missiles—the Kh-101 and Kh-55 / Kh-555. The number of missiles carried depends on the aircraft variant.