Russia and Ukraine: a drone attack leaves 3 dead at a Russian bomber airbase

the ukrainian army has not been held responsible of attackbut the spokesman for the air force of that country, Yuriy Ihnat, indicated that the explosions were the result of what Russia is doing in Ukrainian territory.

Ihnat added that satellite images of the airfield would soon reveal the full damage from Monday’s attack.

The Russian Governor of Saratov, Roman Busargin, expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, saying that there was “absolutely no threat to the residents” of the city of Engels.

Hours after the attack, Russia’s FSB security service announced it had killed a four-member “saboteur group” attempting to enter the Bryansk border region from Ukraine, armed with German-made improvised explosive devices and submachine guns.

The FSB released a video of what it said was the “annihilation” of the group, although there is no independent confirmation of this fact.

This new drone attack inside Russia follows two that occurred on December 5 hundreds of kilometers from the front line, both at the Engels base and in the Ryazan region.

At the time, the Kremlin also said that falling debris had killed three servicemen and reported that two planes suffered light damage.

The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of attacking its territory before, but the latest incidents have taken place much further inside Russian territory.

After the December attacks, there were widespread calls to tighten security around Russian military installations, and the latest attack suggests that has not happened.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demanded the withdrawal of Russia as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and called for its exclusion from the UN “as a whole.”

There is currently no clear mechanism to replace a permanent member of the Security Council.

However, Ukraine argues that Russia illegally took over the USSR’s seat on the Security Council when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Furthermore, it accuses Moscow of abusing the veto power given to each council member.

Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so you don’t miss out on our best content.