• Monday, Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone in Saratov Oblast.
• Three Russian soldiers were killed, according to Russian official news outlets.
• A Ukrainian military official said the drone assault was “Russia’s fault.”

Three Russian soldiers were killed on Monday when a Ukrainian drone was shot down by air defenses as it neared a military airfield in Saratov Oblast, deep inside Russian territory, according to Russian official news outlets.

The tragedy happened in the western port city of Engels, which is situated on the Volga River and is about 500 miles (more than 800 kilometers) southeast of Moscow.

This month’s attempted attack on the city—which is home to the military airstrip and strategic bomber airbase known as Engels-2—is the second of its kind.

Authorities are currently looking into the event at the airstrip, according to Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov Oblast, on Monday.

Following rumors of an explosion in the city, he made the remarks on his official Telegram channel.

He continued by saying that there were “no emergencies in the city’s residential neighborhoods” and that no infrastructure belonging to the general public had been harmed.

He also expressed his sympathies to the families of the fallen service members, assuring them that the government will help them.

Russian accusations that the drone was intentionally shot down and missed its target have not been independently verified by reupdated media channel.

Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, suggested in remarks made on Monday that the drone assault was a “consequence of what Russia is doing” without directly taking blame for it.

“If the Russians thought that the war would not affect anyone in the deep rear (of Russia) or anywhere else, they were deeply mistaken.

Therefore, as we see, such things are happening more and more often, and let’s hope that this will only benefit Ukraine,” said Ihnat.

A spokesperson for the Security and Defense Forces of South Ukraine warned of a potential Russian strike in retaliation on Monday, citing an event that occurred in the same area earlier this month.

“This reminds of the events of December 5, so there may be some deja vu, some repetition of this situation, after which [the Russians] launched a massive missile strike,” the spokesperson said. “Therefore, we should be prepared for this, take it into account in our plans and do not forget to proceed to the shelter.”

Earlier this month, CCTV footage appeared to show an explosion lighting up the sky in Engels. At the time, Gov. Busargin also reassured residents that no civilian infrastructure was damaged and that “information about incidents at military facilities is being checked by law enforcement agencies.”

He had admitted that news of “a huge blast and a burst in Engels in the early morning” was making its way through social media and the press.

The CCTV footage from the early December was taken roughly 6 kilometers away from the Engels-2 airfield.

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