Ukraine strikes Engels airbase and Saratov refinery

Ukrainian forces conducted a widespread series of long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory overnight on August 2, targeting a strategic airbase, multiple oil refineries, fuel depots, and drone infrastructure in a coordinated effort to degrade Russia's military and economic capacity. The operation represents a significant escalation in Ukraine's campaign to strike strategic assets far from the front lines.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the strikes hit the Engels air base in Saratov Oblast, a primary hub for Russia's Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, which have been used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. A fire was reported at the facility. The military also confirmed strikes on the Saratov oil refinery, one of the largest in the Volga region with an annual capacity of around seven million tons of crude, which supplies fuel to Russia's military-industrial sector. Fires broke out at that location as well.

The wave of attacks extended beyond Saratov. Ukrainian forces struck the Lyudinovskaya oil depot in Kaluga Oblast, a site used to store fuel for the Russian military, and a facility used for storing, preparing, and launching attack drones near...