(Updated: )
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
An oil refinery in the city of Engels in Russia's Saratov Oblast was engulfed in flames after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on June 6, Russian officials and media outlets reported.
Ukraine has previously targeted the Kristal Plant, an oil refinery in Engels that supplies fuel to Russia's Engels-2 military airfield. The airfield is one of the country's key strategic military bases. It hosts long-range bombers, including the nuclear-capable Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft.
Residents shared footage of major fires breaking out in Engels following a drone attack, according to the independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra. Locals reported that the refinery was under attack and that a residential building had been hit.
The Saratov airport imposed restrictions due to the drone threat, according to Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya).
Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin claimed that a fire had broken out at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" and that emergency responders had been dispatched to the scene. He also said drones caused damage to a residential building. No casualties were reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 174 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight, targeting 12 regions within Russia as well as Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Kyiv Independent could not confirm these claims.
The reported drone attack comes after a series of major Ukrainian strikes against military targets inside Russia.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1 launched Operation Spiderweb, a daring mass drone attack that damaged 41 Russian heavy bombers at four key airfields throughout the country. The operation reportedly targeted A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3 planes parked at the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases, causing approximately $7 billion in damage.
In the following days, Ukraine carried out strikes against Russia's Crimean Bridge, a military base in distant Vladivostok, and a missile base in Bryansk Oblast.
Located in Russia's Saratov Oblast, around 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine, the Engels-2 base has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The airfield houses three types of strategic bombers regularly used in missile attacks on Ukraine: the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
An attack against the air base on March 20 destroyed 96 air-launched cruise missiles, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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