Russian MoD: Three Russian Soldiers Killed as Ukrainian Drone Downed Over Military Airfield

The incident comes as Russia continues its special military operation in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has stated that air defense systems downed a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over Russia's Engels Air Base on Monday.

The MoD said that “on December 26, at about 1:35 Moscow time (22:35 GMT on December 25) the air defenses of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Ukrainian UAV as it was approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region at low altitude.”

According to the MoD, three Russian servicemen, who were at the airfield, had been fatally injured as a result of falling wreckage from the Ukrainian drone.

The aviation equipment, inluding Russian strategic bombers, was not damaged in the incident, the MoD added.

On December 5, the Ukrainian military tried to attack Russian military airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions with Soviet-made jet drones. The Russian air defense systems intercepted the UAVs, but three Russian soldiers were killed by falling debris from the drones. Two aircraft also received minor damages. On the same day, the Russian army launched a massive attack on infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

The attack came amid Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, which was announced by President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

He stressed that the goal is "the protection of people who had been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian armed forces are tasked with liberating eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region and guaranteeing Russia's security.