A Russian warplane bombed its own city of Belgorod in an humiliating blunder by Vladimir Putin‘s forces.
Footage shows the moment an SU-34 mistakenly slammed a bomb into the city of more than 400,000, narrowly missing an apartment block.
More video evidence shows a 70ft-wide crater caused by the blast with debris strewn around the scene.
Two women were reported wounded in a disaster that could have been far worse.
One needed hospital treatment with head wounds.
Residential buildings were damaged from the explosion, said Belgorod mayor Valentin Demidov.
A Russian warplane bombed its own city of Belgorod in an humiliating blunder by Vladimir Putin’s forces
Residential buildings were damaged from the explosion, said Belgorod mayor Valentin Demidov
This handout picture posted on April 20, 2023 on the official Telegram account of Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, shows damage after an explosion in the city
A car was thrown by the shock wave onto the roof of a Pyaterochka convenience store.
The blunder was in Belgorod region – which borders Ukraine and is deeply tense because of Putin’s war.
Some 30 people have been killed and 123 wounded here since the start of his invasion as Ukraine responds to overwhelming Russian aggression.
A flash is seen on the video as the bomb hits the ground.
The defence ministry quickly acknowledged the error.
‘During the flight of an Su-34 aircraft of the Aerospace Forces over the city of Belgorod an abnormal descent of aviation ammunition occurred,’ said a statement.
‘It was miraculous no-one died – at least according to official figures,’ reported journalist Dmitry Kolezev.
‘Apparently the ministry decided that admitting self-bombing is better than admitting that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can inflict such powerful strikes on Russian cities.’
The bomb is suspected to have been a modernised FAB-500M62, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead.
The bomb is suspected to have been a modernised FAB-500M62, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead. Pictured: A crater created by the blast
Cars were damaged in the blast after the SU-34 warplane mistakenly bombed the city
The SU-34 (file image) mistakenly slammed a bomb into the city of more than 400,000, narrowly missing an apartment block
It is supposed to be ‘high precision’, and has been used to strike targets in Ukraine.
These munitions have reportedly been rushed into service in the war, and are liable to errors.
OSINT analyst Kirill Mikhailov cited by Agentstvo said: ‘In order for everything to work, the bomb must first properly separate, then its wings must open properly and the navigation system should work…
‘Something went wrong in this process.’
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said: ‘An investigation team and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are working on the spot.’
The city is some 25 miles from the Ukrainian frontier, and 50 miles from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
The Su-34 is seen as Russia’s ‘frontline bomber’.
Estimates indicate some ten per cent have been lost during the war against Ukraine unleashed by Putin almost 14 months ago.
In October 2022, an Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed near a multi-storey residential building in Yeysk, in Russia’s Krasnodar region, and caught fire.
A total of 15 people died.
Six days later, a Su-30 military plane crashed on a two-story house in Irkutsk.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…