An official of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent news portal that chemical plants, refineries and ammunition depots at the Engels air base were the targets that were successfully struck. Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted several regions, including Saratov, Voronezh, and Oryol regions, as well as Tatarstan. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, they sprayed Russia with drones in a radius of 1,100 kilometers.
In a Telegram post, Dmitry Milayev, the governor of Russia’s Tula region, reported a “massive drone attack” involving at least 17 drones. Debris from a crashed drone reportedly damaged vehicles and outbuildings in the region’s city of Aleksin, 120 kilometers south of Moscow. At the same time, the SZBU source indicated that the chemical plant in Aleksin – which produces gunpowder and ammunition for the Russian army – was successfully hit, causing a large fire.
At the Engels airport in the Saratov region, more than 750 kilometers from Ukraine, the airport’s ammunition depot containing glide bombs and drones was reportedly hit. According to reports, the Saratov oil refinery also caught fire. Engels is the base for three types of Russian strategic bombers – the Tu-95, Tu-22 and Tu-160 – which regularly launch missile strikes against Ukrainian cities. Mihail Isayev, the acting head of the Engels district, announced that the city’s schools will switch to distance learning due to the constant threat of drone strikes. Explosions were reported from the city of Selco in Bryansk, near Ukraine, where a chemical plant was allegedly hit, the Russian opposition Telegram channel, Astra, reported.
Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv and said he wanted to discuss further European aid to Ukraine ahead of the upcoming government changes in the United States and Germany. “For me, the important thing is to show with this visit that we continue to actively support Ukraine,” the politician said upon his arrival, adding that he would like to get a clearer picture of both the situation on the front lines and Ukraine’s military capabilities.
Boris Pistorius held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his counterpart, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, as well as other military officials and politicians, and expressed optimism about ongoing efforts in Germany that despite the collapse of Germany’s 2025 budget that caused a coalition crisis in February agree on further support for Ukraine before early elections.
Earlier on Monday, Pistorius met with his Polish, British, French and Italian colleagues in Warsaw, Deutsche Welle reported, adding that these five countries, which bring together the most important armies in Europe, are trying to assure Kiev of the continuation of European support – whatever the inauguration of Donald Trump in the US next week brings. . On the same day, Zelenskiy discussed the situation on the Ukrainian frontline and the possibility of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron. The latter idea gained more and more space in recent months in connection with the still unclear plans of Donald Trump, who took office on January 20, to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Source: nepszava.hu
