Russia accidentally dropped at least 38 unguided bombs over its own territory in April 2023-April 2024, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing internal bomb cleanup and evacuation documents it obtained from Ukrainian intelligence.
The FAB-500 glide bombs that carry a 500-kilogram payload have fallen on Russia’s Belgorod region which borders Ukraine, the newspaper reported. Russia had started deploying modified Soviet-era FAB-500s with an attached wing and navigation kit earlier in 2023 as an alternative to dwindling precision-guided missiles.
Military expert Ruslan Leviev said that although the glide bombs’ retrofitted guidance systems are unreliable, “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.”
Astra, an independent Telegram news channel that has regularly reported on the incidents since April 2023, estimates that Russia has accidentally dropped more than 100 bombs on the Belgorod region between March and June 2024.
Astra said Monday that nine more FABs and a missile have fallen on the border region in the last four days.
The bombs usually fail to detonate, with the exception of an April 21, 2023, incident in Belgorod city that did not lead to any casualties.
Moscow has not responded to The Washington Post’s request for comment on the document, which the publication said likely originated from the city of Belgorod’s emergency services.