According to a recent report, Russia accidentally dropped at least 38 unguided bombs over its own territory from April 2023 to April 2024. The report, based on internal bomb cleanup and evacuation documents obtained from Ukrainian intelligence, sheds light on the unintentional consequences of Russia’s military actions.
The particular bombs in question, FAB-500, are glide bombs with a 500-kilogram payload. They have been falling repeatedly in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders Ukraine. These bombs are modified Soviet-era munitions equipped with wings and navigation kits. They were deployed earlier in 2023 as an alternative to the dwindling supply of precision-guided missiles.
Despite the retrofitted guidance systems being unreliable, military expert Ruslan Leviev noted that “only a fraction of these bombs fail, so it doesn’t affect the practical effectiveness of this weapon, no matter how cynical that may sound.”
Independent news channel Astra, which has consistently reported on these incidents since April 2023, estimates that over 100 bombs have been accidentally dropped on the Belgorod region between March and June 2024. It reported that in the last four days alone, nine more FABs and a missile have fallen in the border region.
While most of these bombs failed to detonate, an exception was the incident on April 21, 2023, in Belgorod city, which fortunately did not result in any casualties. Despite these occurrences, Moscow has not responded to The Washington Post’s request for comment on the documents, which are believed to have originated from Belgorod’s emergency services.
The frequent accidental bombings raise concerns about the safety and reliability of Russia’s military operations near its borders, posing significant risks to civilian areas and highlighting potential flaws in its military strategy and equipment.
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