Russia shoots down Ukrainian drone near its Engels airbase

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian military services reported on Monday that it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an airbase deep inside Russia, the 2nd time the airbase has been targeted this month, increasing queries about the performance of Russia’s air defenses if drones can fly that significantly into the nation.

Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned the incident took location in the early hrs of Monday, and three servicemen ended up killed by particles at the Engels airbase that properties the Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been included in launching strikes on Ukraine.

Engels is located in Russia’s Saratov area on the Volga river, a lot more than 600 kilometers (far more than 370 miles) east of the border with Ukraine.

No destruction was inflicted on Russian plane, the ministry mentioned.

It is the 2nd time Engels has been specific by Ukrainian drones on Dec. 5, unparalleled drone strikes on Engels and the Dyagilevo base in the Ryazan area in western Russia killed a full of 3 servicemen and wounded 4 much more. The strikes on the airbases have been followed by a massive retaliatory missile barrage in Ukraine that struck properties and buildings and killed civilians.

In Ukraine, the night time from Sunday into Monday appeared unusually peaceful. For the very first time in weeks, the Russian forces did not shell the Dnipropetrovsk area, which borders the partially occupied southern locations of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, its Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko documented on Telegram.

“This is the 3rd quiet night time in 5.5 months because the Russians started shelling” the regions all over the metropolis of Nikopol, Reznichenko wrote. Nikopol is found across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear electric power plant, which is beneath manage of the Russian forces.

Ukrainian-controlled parts of the neighbouring Kherson region were being shelled 33 moments over the past 24 several hours, according to Kherson’s Ukrainian Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevich. There have been no casualties.

On Saturday, a deadly attack on the metropolis of Kherson, which was retaken by Kyiv’s forces past month, killed and wounded scores.