BY ISABEL VAN BRUGEN ON 4/21/23 AT 3:12 AM EDT
Russia's defense ministry has said one of its own fighter jets
accidentally bombed the eastern Russian city of Belgorod, near the border with
Ukraine, on Thursday.
A powerful explosion was reported in Belgorod's city center on
Thursday evening. Russian Telegram channels reported that multi-story buildings
were damaged, while the region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said three
people were injured in the blast.
Belgorod is located
near the Ukrainian border and houses several Russian
military bases and training grounds.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement
on Thursday that the blast, which took place at 10:55 p.m. local time, was the
result of an emergency ammunition drop.
"On April 20, during the flight of an
Su-34 aircraft of the Aerospace Forces over the city of Belgorod, there was an
abnormal descent of an aircraft munition. As a result, there was damage to
residential buildings, no casualties. An investigation is underway," it
said.
Gladkov said on his Telegram channel that the
explosion had damaged four apartments and four cars, destroyed power line
poles, and left a "huge" crater in the city center. Restoration work
should be completed by Monday, he said.
The regional governor said one woman was
hospitalized with a head injury.
"Thank God there are no dead," he
wrote, adding that temporary accommodation in a hotel is being offered to all
residents of damaged apartments.
Gladkov posted images on Telegram showing the
extent of the damage, including shattered windows, damaged cars and apartment
buildings, and debris covering the city's streets.
Belgorod has been
rocked with explosions and mysterious fires throughout Russian President Vladimir
Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with local authorities regularly
reporting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the area.
On January 14, a Russian sergeant set off a grenade at his unit
in the Belgorod region's Korochansky district to "establish
authority," causing an explosion that killed three soldiers and injured 16
others.
Russian emergency services told the state-run news agency
Interfax that the sergeant accidentally detonated a hand grenade, which caused
ammunition to blow up and started a fire.
Baza, a Russian Telegram channel that regularly posts
information about security issues within the country, said the man who caused
the blast "picked up an RGD-5 grenade in order to establish authority over
his troops."
Newsweek has
contacted Russia's defense ministry by email for additional comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-bomb-belgorod-explosion-blast-fighter-jet-1795794
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