Russian airfield in Saratov Oblast reportedly on fire after heaviest drone attack on region

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

The Russian cities of Saratov and Engels were targeted in the heaviest drone attack against Saratov Oblast throughout the entire full-scale war overnight on March 20, Governor Roman Busargin claimed, reporting a fire at a local airbase.

Residents reported an air raid alert followed by a series of explosions in the region, according to Russian Telegram channels. At least four blasts could be heard at around 4 a.m. local time, according to Mash.

The cities of Engels and Saratov lie near the Engels-2 military airbase, which hosts strategic bomber planes regularly used for aerial strikes on Ukraine. The independent news channel Astra reported explosions near the airbase.

According to Busargin, residents living near the airfield are being evacuated.

The Shot Telegram channel wrote that a fire also erupted in the area of a local oil depot in Engels. Russian officials have not commented on possible damage to oil infrastructure.

Two civilians were injured in Engels, authorities said. Around 30 houses were impacted in the city, and windows of a local hospital, two kindergartens, and a school were damaged, Busargin claimed.

Saratov and Engels lie across from each other on the western and eastern banks of the Volga River, respectively, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Russian air defenses shot down 132 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 54 over Saratov Oblast, 40 over Voronezh Oblast, 22 over Belgorod Oblast, and others over the Rostov, Kursk, and Lipetsk oblasts, as well as over occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.

The Engels-2 airbase has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine throughout the full-scale war, most recently in January when a drone attack set fire to an ammunition depot on the airfield's territory.