Drone attack on another Russian airfield – governor

An airfield in the city of Kursk has been targeted in a drone attack, according to the governor of the southwestern Russian region. The strike comes the day after two bases, in Ryazan and Saratov Regions, were targeted with similar weapons. 

Kursk is close to Ukraine, but Ryazan and Saratov are deeper inside Russia, with the latter located some 700km from the frontier.

“As a result of a drone attack, an oil storage tank caught fire in the area of the Kursk airfield. The fire is being localized. All emergency agencies are on site,” Kursk Region Governor Roman Starovoyt said in a Telegram post on Tuesday morning around 7:20am local time.

There were no casualties, according to preliminary information shared by the governor. 

On Monday, a number of “Soviet-made” jet drones flying at low altitude targeted long-range strategic aviation assets at the Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Region and Engels airfield in Saratov Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The military said the unmanned vehicles were detected and shot down by air defenses, but noted that debris impacted the airfields, “slightly” damaging two aircraft. Three service members were “fatally injured,” while four more were taken to military hospitals for treatment.