Video shows smoke from blast on Russia's Engels strategic bomber base

Record ID: 1984715

  • Title: Video shows smoke from blast on Russia's Engels strategic bomber base
  • Date: 20th March 2025
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (MARCH 19, 2025) (REUTERS) STATUE OF LATE POPE JOHN PAUL II GIFTS FOR POPE FRANCIS AT BASE OF STATUE WINDOWS OF PAPAL ROOMS AT TENTH FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) VISITOR, GIUSEPPE FILIPPI, SAYING: "I hope Pope Francis will recover soon since the world is ruled by madmen. He is one of the few people who still has a conscience. These days, we are witnessing bloods
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Engels Russia Ukraine blast
  • Location: ENGELS, SARATOV REGION, RUSSIA
  • City: ENGELS, SARATOV REGION, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA001032720032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ukraine struck Russia's Engels strategic bomber base on Thursday (March 20) with drones, triggering a major blast and fire about 700 km (435 miles) from the front lines of the war, Russian officials and media reported.
    A video published on social media, filmed from Engels, shows a mushroom cloud rising on the horizon at the time of the blast.
    Reuters was able to confirm the location by the buildings and chimney seen in the video which matched satellite imagery of the area. The shape of the smoke cloud matches other videos and images of the incident.
    The smoke is rising from the direction of the Engels airbase. The date has been verified by reports the attack happened on Thursday (March 20) and verified corroborating footage.
    The base in Engels, which dates back to early Soviet times, hosts Russia's Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, known unofficially as White Swans.
    Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov, said there had been a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Engels that had left an airfield on fire, and that nearby residents had been evacuated. He did not specifically mention the Engels base, but it is the main airfield in the area.
    (Production: Milan Pavicic, Amy McConaghy)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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