(PatriotWise.com) – Last Monday, Moscow said it had shot down a Ukrainian drone close to one of its long-range bomber bases deep inside Russian territory and that three of its air force personnel had been killed by the wreckage.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the drone was allegedly flying near Engels air base in Russia where long-range strategic bombers likely used to target Ukraine’s infrastructure are based.
No planes were damaged in the incident, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
However, unverified Russian and Ukrainian social media accounts claimed that some planes had been destroyed. These accounts have not been independently verified, according to Reuters.
One of two strategic bomber bases that house Russia’s air-delivered nuclear capability, the Engels air base is located near the city of Saratov, 450 miles southeast of Moscow.
The same base was attacked by Ukrainian drones in early December, according to the Kremlin.
In a statement on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the drone was shot down while approaching the base at a low altitude, and three members of the technical staff were killed by falling wreckage from the drone.
Russia has used its air force to fire cruise missiles into Ukraine, primarily targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.
According to a report in Reuters on Sunday, Russian officials claim that on New Year’s Eve, Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Makiivka and other locations in the Russian-controlled territories of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, hitting military quarters and killing many.
Russia’s TASS state news agency reported that officials from the Russian-installed government in the Donetsk region said at least 25 rockets were fired overnight on New Year’s Eve. At least 15 people were injured in the coal-producing city of Makiivka during a series of shelling from High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rockets.
However, Reuters could not independently verify the TASS report.
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