Drones Attack Military Air Base Near Orenburg for the First Time

For the first time, drones have attacked the Russian military air base near Orenburg, located more than 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Regional authorities reported this, with videos of the drone flights shared by local social media pages.

According to Astra, the Orenburg-2 military air base was the focus of the drone strike.

Yevgeny Sontsov, the region’s governor, stated that the Russian air defense forces allegedly shot everything down. A photo of the wreckage of one drone was also published.

Open sources indicate that the Orenburg-2 military air base is home to the 117th Military Transport Aviation Regiment of the 18th Guards Military Transport Aviation Division of the Russian Federation. It also hosts the 7th Separate Engineer-Airfield Battalion, which services aircraft and airfield equipment.

On the night of April 9, drones also attempted to attack the military airbase in Mozdok, located in North Ossetia. The head of the republic stated that there were no casualties or damage.

In the Saratov region, according to Shot, explosions were heard in the city of Engels, near the base of the Russian Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, which carry out missile strikes on Ukraine.

According to Astra, in the Penza region of the Russian Federation, the Serdobsky district, which houses a missile and artillery weapons arsenal, was targeted by drones.

In the morning, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also confirmed the attack by nearly 160 Ukrainian drones on various regions. The attack lasted for 10 hours and ended at 6 a.m. Moscow time.

It is claimed that most drones were shot down over the Krasnodar Krai – 67, Rostov region – 29, and North Ossetia – 15. Drones also targeted the Voronezh, Kursk, Belgorod, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Orenburg, Oryol regions, the Stavropol Krai, and the annexed Crimea.

Recently, strike drones destroyed a depot with Kh-22/32 missiles and a technical facility for their maintenance during an attack on the Shaykovka air base, where Russian Tu-22M3 bombers are based.

This is confirmed by satellite images taken after the strike on the night of March 31, 2025.