An explosion occurred in the apron area of an airfield near Ryazan (presumably, the Dyagilevo airbase), killing three people and injuring five, TASSreported in the morning of December 5, 2022. That same morning a drone fell on the runway of an airfield in the Saratov region.
RIA Novosti reported citing a source that a fuel tanker truck exploded at an airfield near Ryazan. The agency reports nine injured and three dead. An airplane was also damaged as a result of the accident.
The propaganda Telegram channel Rybarreports that the explosions at the strategic facilities were acts of sabotage “with a high degree of probability”. The report says that the explosions at the two airfields where Russian Air Force aircraft are based occurred almost simultaneously. The channel published a video from the airfield near Ryazan.
A video of the explosion has also been published online.
In the morning of December 5, there were also media reports about a drone that fell on a runway of the airfield in the Saratov region. According to the Telegram channel Baza, two aircraft were damaged and two people were hospitalized with injuries. The Telegram channel Astra claimed that two Tu-95 rocket bombers were damaged.
Days before the explosion at the airfield, on December 1, there were reports that Russia was preparing for a massive missile strike. The Engels-2 military airfield near Saratov was put on high alert, as evidenced by satellite images from Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs. Nearly two dozen Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers can be seen in the photos.
On October 7, a Ukrainian drone attacked the Shaikovka airfield, where Russian Tu-22 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons were based. The base is located 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Shaikovka was used as a base of operations for the Tu-22M planes that launched X-22 missiles destroying a shopping mall in Kremenchuk. In August, explosions occurred at the Belbek airfield in Crimea. On October 1, clouds of smoke were seen over Belbek again, and an explosion was heard.
