Explosion in Russian city revealed as accident – military
The Russian Defense Ministry has identified the cause of Thursday's explosion in Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine, as the unintended release of an aerial bomb. The projectile left a crater in a residential area and destroyed several vehicles, but did not cause any injuries.
The “unusual descent of an aviation munition” took place around 10:15pm Moscow time, as an Su-34 of the Russian Air Force flew over Belgorod, the ministry said in a statement. The Russian military has launched an investigation into the incident.
According to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the blast left a 20-meter wide crater in the street, destroying several cars and shattering windows in nearby buildings. One vehicle was thrown into the air and onto the roof of a nearby one-story building.
CCTV footage circulating online shows the unidentified projectile striking the ground. After penetrating the street, the object detonated a few moments later, sending a fountain of dirt and pieces of pavement high into the air.
The local authorities did not attribute the attack, amid rampant speculation on social media that Ukraine had sent another drone to target Belgorod’s power supply, following a similar attack earlier this week.
Belgorod is only 30km from the border with Ukraine. The city and the eponymous region have frequently been the target of Ukrainian artillery, drones, and missiles since Moscow launched its military operation in February 2022. Earlier on Thursday, Gladkov told local officials that 30 civilians have died and another 120 have been injured as a result of Ukrainian attacks.
The Russian military has stepped up airstrikes against Ukrainian targets over the past several weeks, using specially modified FAB-500 glide bombs dropped from strike aircraft such as the Su-34.
