One of Vladimir Putin’s war planes accidentally dumped a bomb on a Russian city near Ukraine late on Thursday, damaging buildings and causing an explosion, the defence ministry has said. The bomb hit Belgorod, which is located only 25 miles from the border with Ukraine, and created a massive 65ft crater in its wake. The regional governor also added that two women have been injured following the blast.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence said: “As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition.”
It did not say what kind of weapon was involved after the Su-34, which is a supersonic fighter-bomber jet, launched the bomb.
It is probable that the ammunition found on the fighter jet was meant for Kharkiv, a neighbouring city that had been on high alert for aerial attacks throughout the night.
Governor of the region Vyacheslav Gladkov said: “An explosion took place. According to preliminary information, there are no victims.”
Mr Gladkov declared a state of emergency and stated on Telegram that one of the main streets had a 20-metre (65-foot) wide crater.
He also added that four apartment buildings and four cars had been affected.
Two citizens were taken to hospital with minor injuries, but no deaths have been reported, he said.
A car was propelled onto the roof of a nearby grocery store due to the immense impact of the explosion.
According to Gladkov, the blast produced a huge shockwave that shattered windows in an apartment building, caused damage to multiple cars, and toppled power line poles.
During a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in January, Gladkov reported that the ongoing offensive had resulted in the death of 25 individuals and over 90 injuries in the area.
Russia has long praised the Su-34 for its supposedly sophisticated technology, despite the fact that it took many years to develop.
