Ukraine said a recent attack on Russia's Engels-2 air base destroyed 96 cruise missiles.

Satellite images show blackened craters.

Russia has used the air base to launch regular bomber attacks on Ukraine.

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.

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.

Analysis of Russian cruise missile strikes show that Moscow has launched up to 223 missiles a month against Ukrainian targets since late 2022.

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French President Macron pledges $2.15B for Ukraine defense

French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged the equivalent of $2.15 billion in U.S. dollars to support Ukraine's defense against Russia.

The aid package includes funding for anti-tank missiles, surface-to-air missiles and drones to help protect Ukraine against Russian air and ground attacks, France 24 reported.

Zelensky arrived in Paris on Wednesday to discuss the war between Ukraine and Russia ahead of Thursday's scheduled meeting in Paris with representatives of Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, Ukraine and other nations dubbed the "coalition of the willing," the Kyiv Independent reported.

The coalition consists of about 30 nations that have expressed interest in helping Ukraine and are to gather at the Elysee Palace in Paris to discuss how they might help maintain Ukrainian security while working to end the war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The coalition of respective national leaders will discuss military support for Ukraine and strengthening its military while potentially deploying a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce a possible cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine, Le Monde reported.

With the United Kingdom and France participating in the coalition supporting Ukraine, Europe's two nuclear powers are among those pledging to support Ukraine and potentially deploying troops to maintain a peace if a cease-fire is arranged between Ukraine and Russia.

Macron on Wednesday suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin has a "desire for war" and said the coalition meeting Thursday will need to determine how it could ensure Ukraine's security against Russian aggression.

Zelensky also might travel to the United States next week to sign an economic deal that could require President Donald Trump to increase sanctions on Russia if necessary to enforce a cease-fire.

Zelensky on Wednesday told media U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff and other U.S. officials of being influenced by "Russian narratives" while promoting a cease-fire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

The United States on Tuesday reached separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia to cease attacks on the Black Sea and against energy targets in Ukraine and Russia.

Russian officials have said the agreements won't go into effect unless sanctions against some Russian banks end.

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