Ukraine attacked an airfield deep inside Russian territory overnight, officials said on Thursday, as the two sides traded strikes amid efforts by the Trump administration to hammer out details of a partial cease-fire.
The attack on the Russian airfield came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke to President Trump and accepted the Kremlin’s offer to mutually pause attacks on energy targets for 30 days as a step toward a broader cease-fire.
Russia’s defense ministry said that it had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones in the Saratov region overnight. The region is home to the Engels airfield, which hosts some of Russia’s long-range, nuclear-capable bombers.
While the ministry did not say how many drones had evaded air defenses, The New York Times confirmed that at least one strike targeted the airfield in Engels shortly after sunrise on Thursday.
Videos and photographs shared by witnesses on social media and verified by The Times showed an explosion and a large plume of dark smoke rising from the base, and loud secondary explosions after the strike. The strike appeared to target a part of the airfield with several warehouses, which is described online as a weapons storage area.
The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, said on Thursday that civilians living near the airfield were being evacuated “for safety reasons” because of a fire on the base. About 30 houses were damaged overnight, he added in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine’s military confirmed in a statement that had attacked the airfield. Kyiv has previously targeted the base, which it calls a staging ground for Russia’s long-running attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Russian forces also carried out further strikes on Ukraine overnight. Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday that Russia had launched 171 drones, 63 of which were shot down by air defenses. At least five people were killed and injured across the country, according to local authorities.
While both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to temporarily stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure, how and when that pause will go into effect remains unclear. Those details were expected to be discussed at upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia — and Mr. Zelensky said on Wednesday night that “everything will continue to fly” until “there is an appropriate document” negotiating terms.
On Thursday, the Kremlin said that Russian and U.S. officials were hammering out the details for a new round of bilateral talks. Those talks will be held on Monday in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, President Vladimir V. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told Russian news agencies.
Mr. Zelensky has characterized some of the Kremlin’s proposals as stalling tactics to maneuver for military advantage and a better deal from Mr. Trump. On Thursday morning, he suggested the same in noting that Russian attacks had not stopped.
“Every day and every night up to a hundred drones and missile attacks also do not stop,” he wrote on Telegram. “With every such strike Russia shows the world its real attitude to peace.”
Nataliia Novosolova, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Malachy Browne contributed reporting.
