Ukrainian drone attack on Russian air base kills three, Russia says

Strike on military target deep inside Russia is a reminder to the Kremlin that it must devote resources to protecting its home front.

A drone approaches for an attack in Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Three Russian service members were killed during a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian military air base, Moscow said, the latest apparent demonstration of Kyiv’s ability to strike military targets inside Russia.

The strike at the Engels air base in Saratov region, a hub for Russia’s strategic bombers, is the second this month. Although small, it still offered a reminder to Moscow that even forces deep inside its territory can be hit, forcing the Kremlin to redirect resources and leaders’ attention.

The attack also reflects a battle raging far from the war’s front lines. Russia is launching missiles and drones to try to degrade Ukraine’s infrastructure, particularly its power grid, to sap the morale of Ukrainian civilians. At the same time, apparent Ukrainian attacks are targeting Russia’s ability to carry out those strikes.

Kyiv didn’t immediately comment on the incident. Ukraine typically doesn’t publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Russia.

But Kyiv has repeatedly worked to show the Kremlin that although its forces occupy large parts of Ukraine and have been wreaking havoc on people’s lives nationwide, Russia too must remain on guard. The sinking in April of the Russian warship Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, and the October attack on Russia’s bridge across the Kerch Strait were among the most significant reminders, but Ukraine has maintained a drumbeat of many smaller strikes and incursions.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian aerial drone was shot down overnight by Russian air defences as it approached the base. Falling debris from the craft killed three service members, but no warplanes were damaged, the ministry said.

Russian social-media channels reported that locals heard an explosion and saw a fire at the base, located some 350 miles from the Ukrainian border. Russia has in the past claimed that no aircraft were damaged in Ukrainian attacks, only for satellite images to prove them wrong.

Russian officials on December 5 said that Ukrainian drones struck Engels and another base in Ryazan, killing three service members and injuring four.

Engels has been used to launch air raids and missile strikes on Ukraine. Russia has used long-range aircraft stationed at the base to fire cruise missiles at Ukraine, military analysts say. The bombers are also capable of carrying nuclear weapons, forming part of Russia’s triad of nuclear forces along with land-based and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.

In a sign that Russian security services are seeking to satisfy calls from the Kremlin to crack down on any potential sabotage in Russia, the Federal Security Service said they prevented one such attack. The service said they killed four Ukrainian saboteurs – carrying machine guns and explosive devices – who were trying to cross the Russian border in the Bryansk region, southwest of Moscow, on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week called on Russian security services to be more vigilant when it comes to spies, traitors and saboteurs.

Heavy fighting continued in the east of Ukraine, where Russia is seeking to seize the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, while Ukraine is pressing further north in the Luhansk region.

Ukraine took back swaths of territory in the northeast and south of the country in recent months, but the winter has seen slower advances for the Ukrainians in Luhansk and the Russians around Bakhmut.

Serhiy Haidai, the top Ukrainian official for Luhansk, said Ukrainian troops were closing on the city of Kreminna and fighting the Russians near there.

“The advantage is with Ukrainian forces. They are pushing forward,” Mr Haidai said.

Mr Haidai said the situation for civilians in areas recently recaptured by the Ukrainian army was difficult because Russia was shelling them. Ukrainian authorities are evacuating the injured and providing medicine and food for those who remain there, he said.

In Russia, senior military officials said the country will enhance its air and defence capabilities. The announcement follows Mr. Putin’s comments Sunday that Moscow remains committed to the war and the Russian population is prepared to endure a protracted conflict. Mr Putin also recently promised to provide the Russian military with any means necessary to win the war.

In St Petersburg, Mr Putin hosted a meeting of the heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States, an intergovernmental organisation of a dozen countries, including Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Mr Putin discussed their security and cultural cooperation, especially promoting the use of the Russian language as a means of international communication.

He described Russian as “a powerful bonding force uniting our multinational states” and said new programs to promote it will be introduced next year. The Kremlin previously cited the protection of the Russian language and culture as one of the primary reasons for its attack on Ukraine.

Ann M. Simmons and Yuliya Chernova contributed to this article.

The Wall Street Journal