Ukraine’s strike on Engels airbase disrupted logistics, but aircraft damage unlikely - aviation expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"Let us recall the first strike by Ukrainian Strizh drones on the Engels airfield, which led to the relocation of all strategic aircraft to the Olenya airfield. At that time, most of the aircraft capable of performing combat tasks were moved away from Engels. As for the destruction of ammunition depots, it's important to note that missiles were continuously stockpiled there, with strategic aviation regularly arriving to deliver weapons. This suggests that the depots contained Kh-555 and Kh-101 class missiles. Consequently, these depots were equipped for pre-flight preparation, including missile refueling and checks on all components involved in the mission," said the aviation expert.

According to him, this logistics system was convenient for Russia: tactical missile weapons were delivered from Moscow to Engels, where aircraft would arrive for rearming, then continue on their route to Olenya, from where they would take off for combat missions.

"I think that with the latest strike on the Engels airfield, we have disrupted Russia's logistics because now Russia will have to find a place where it can continue this process. In my opinion, Russia still has the ability to store and relocate these elements to another location, as there were two such depots in Engels. As for the damage to the aircraft, I have doubts. Most of these airfields are built with the expectation that the airfield won’t be affected in case of an ammunition depot explosion, which is why they are located at a certain distance. Even considering the spread of debris, the likelihood of us damaging the aircraft was low. Remember that most of the aircraft at the Engels airfield were museum exhibits, meaning they either didn’t fly or flew with certain limitations," commented Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi.

• On March 20, units of Ukraine’s Security Service and the Special Operations Forces, in coordination with other branches of the Defense Forces, launched an attack on the Engels airfield in Russia’s Saratov region.
• Satellite images from the aerospace company Maxar reveal that following the Ukrainian attack on the Engels airfield in Russia, several buildings were left with visible craters from explosions.