The powerful glide-bombs that Russia has used to such great effect to pound Ukrainian cities into rubble have also been falling on its own territory, an internal Russian document has revealed.
At least 38 of the bombs, which have been credited with helping drive Russia’s recent territorial advances, crashed into the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine according to the document obtained by The Washington Post, though most did not detonate.
Russia accidentally dropped at least 38 unguided bombs over its own territory, 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.
Russia had commenced deploying modified Soviet-era FAB-500s with an attached wing and navigation kit earlier 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.”
Estimates actually indicates that Russia has accidentally dropped more than 100 bombs on the Belgorod region between March and June 2024. 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.
But eventually, 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.
