Saratov: Flight restrictions at Saratov Regional Airport were lifted on Monday following a Ukrainian drone attack that resulted in property damage and injured a woman.
Russia’s RIA news agency reported the removal of the flight curbs around 9:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), after initially reporting the restrictions, citing the airport’s press service.
Debris from drones intercepted by Russia’s air defence systems caused damage to a residential complex in the city, stated regional governor Roman Basurgin on Telegram.
Basurgin reported that a woman was hospitalized in serious condition and that doctors were working to save her life. The Russian defence ministry confirmed that their air defence systems had destroyed nine drones over the Saratov region, located approximately 900 kilometres (560 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Basurgin also mentioned that emergency services were deployed to the impacted areas in Saratov and Engels, significant cities in the region southeast of the capital. Engels, home to a strategic Russian bomber military base, has been targeted multiple times by Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
No immediate details were available regarding the extent of the damage at the base or the scale of the Ukrainian assault on the region, which is several hundred kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Footage shared on Telegram by the Russian news channel SHOT depicted a high-rise residential building in Saratov with one side damaged and several windows shattered across three floors. Additionally, damage to the top floor of a residential building in Engels was reported.
