Shahed-like UAVs Attacked Russia’s Engels-2 Air Base

On the night of July 16, a Shahed-like UAV attacked the Russian strategic air force base Engels-2 in the Saratov Region.

The monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova+ reported the attack and published footage of the strike.

According to Astra, a fire broke out on the military air base following the drone attack, and the smoke from the blaze was captured on video by eyewitnesses.

At approximately 1:47 a.m., Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, reported a threat posed by drones to the region.

Starting at 2:30 a.m., residents of Saratov and Engels began posting on social media about numerous UAVs in the sky.

Reports later emerged that a fire had broken out near the local military airfield following a series of explosions.

Residents of Engels also reported power outages after the blasts. On social media, some speculated that one of the substations may have been hit by the drones.

Footages released by local residents show that the Ukrainian Defense Forces deployed Shahed-like UAVs in the strike on the Engels-2 airbase — the same type of drones that have been observed on multiple occasions during attacks on other targets in Russia.

Engels-2 is a Russian strategic air base located near the city of Engels in the Saratov Region. It hosts Tu-95MS and Tu-160 missile-carrying bombers, which regularly attack Ukraine with Kh-101 cruise missiles.

The air base also contains ammunition depots, fuel storage facilities, equipment, and aircraft maintenance supplies.

Last year, Russia began expanding the base by constructing additional aircraft parking lots to accommodate more bombers.

In March 2025, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that 96 air-launched cruise missiles at Engels-2 had been destroyed as a result of a Ukrainian strike. These weapons were intended for three missile strikes against Ukraine during March and April.