The Russians have significantly reduced the presence of their strategic bombers at the Engels air base in the Saratov region.

This is evidenced by a satellite image of the Russian air base, which was published by The Drive portal.

The December 29 image shows a significant reduction in Russian aviation activity at an airbase hundreds of kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

The published image shows 11 Russian strategic bombers, and on November 29 there were 26 of them.

From the image of the airbase we can conclude that some of these aircraft are inoperational. Observers base such conclusions on the fact that some bombers are not even cleared of snow, and there is uncleared snow around them.

This, according to observers, may indicate the inoperability of bombers or their technical malfunction, which makes it impossible to use them for missile attacks on Ukraine. At the same time, it is noticeable that five turboprop strategic bomber-missile carriers are Tu-95MS, which are regularly cleared of snow cover and stand on cleared platforms and steering paths.

The satellite image also indicates that the Russians are supposedly trying to draw conclusions from previous attacks by unknown aircraft on the airfield in Engels, which led to the death of military personnel and at least damage to bombers. At the sites where the aircraft stand, the Russians have installed a protective barrier, which is probably supposed to reduce the impact of explosions and damage to bombers during possible new attacks of unknown unmanned aerial vehicles. It should be noted that after the explosions, the Russians dispersed the bombers from the Engels airfield, leaving only a certain number of aircraft there. Some strategic bombers were relocated to Primorsky Krai in the Far East. It is thousands of kilometers from Ukraine.

It should be reminded that on the night of December 26, explosions occurred in the Russian city of Engels near Saratov, where the air base of Russian strategic aviation was located. Before the explosions and the flash, which was recorded by the cameras, a sound was heard similar to the flight of a rocket or aircraft with a jet engine.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country said that a Ukrainian drone had been allegedly shot down during the approach to the Engels airfield. Allegedly, as a result of the fall of its wreckage, 3 soldiers died, and the equipment was not damaged. Later, the Russians uncovered the names and ranks of the Russian military neutralized as a result of the explosion at the air base.

This is not the first such case at this air base. On December 5, Russia reported that in the morning an unknown drone had attacked an airfield in the Saratov region. Then the Russians said that the unknown aircraft fell on the runway.

Satellite images demonstrated that at least one turboprop strategic bomber had suffered such damage that it had to be extinguished.

Also on December 29, air defense worked in the area of the Engels AB. The Russians said they had allegedly shot down the drone.