The Low-Down: 96 Cruise Missiles Destroyed By Ukraine's Engels Raid Cost Kremlin Almost $1 Billion

In its third attack on Russia's primary Engels strategic bomber base, Ukrainian drones destroyed 96 Russian cruise missiles, which, in addition to their military value, cost as much as $1 billion, making it challenging for the Kremlin given the parlous state of the Russian economy. JL

Mia Jankowicz reports in Business Insider:

Ukraine's recent attack on one of Russia's key military air bases caused a stockpile of 96 air-launched cruise missiles to explode. the missiles were destroyed as the result of a secondary explosion. A massive plume of flame and smoke was observed last week after the attack on Russia's Engels-2 military air base, in the Saratov region, which is used by Russia to launch Tu-95 and Tu-160 bomber attacks on Ukraine. Russia's air-launched cruise missiles cost between $500,000 and $1 million each. In January, Ukraine conducted its "largest ever" attack hitting an oil storage facility for refueling the planes at Engels-2 in the process. That was its second attack on Engels in a week.
Ukraine's armed forces said that a recent attack on one of Russia's key military air bases caused a stockpile of 96 air-launched cruise missiles to explode.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said Thursday that the missiles were destroyed as the result of a secondary explosion. It's unclear if any aircraft were hit.
Images of a massive plume of flame and smoke went viral last week after the attack on Russia's Engels-2 military air base, in the Saratov region, which is used by Russia to launch Tu-95 and Tu-160 bomber attacks on Ukraine.

The missiles had been intended for use in three upcoming operations, Ukraine said.
It added that further strikes took out large fuel reserves intended for the aircraft.
Business Insider was unable to independently confirm the statement.

Taking out 96 cruise missiles would be an impressive achievement. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Russia's air-launched cruise missiles, depending on their type, cost between $500,000 and $1 million each.
Before-and-after satellite images of Engels-2 showed large, blackened craters and damaged bunkers as of March 21.
A closer view of craters and destroyed bunkers after the attack at Engels on March 21. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies
The region's governor, Roman Busargin, said the strike was the largest to date in the region.

While Russian authorities typically do not give out numbers of strikes, Busargin said that 54 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in the attack.
The March 20 strike, around 450 miles away from unoccupied Ukrainian territory, comes as part of Kyiv's campaign to degrade the Russian military and energy infrastructure that fuels the war effort.

It was the latest in a string of attacks that targeted the base.In January, Ukraine said it had conducted its "largest ever" attack on Russian military facilities, hitting an oil storage facility for refueling the planes at Engels-2 in the process. That was its second attack on Engels in a week.

More recently, a likely drone attack set ablaze the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai for a full week, putting it out of action for the foreseeable future.
Ukraine said that the strike on Engels-2 took out a chunk of Russian firepower, but military analysts have long warned that, despite sanctions, Russia has few barriers when it comes to resupplying itself with missiles.