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(CNN) Russian fighter jets dropped bombs on the Russian city of more than 400,000 people late Thursday, leaving a crater 40 meters (130 feet) in diameter, blowing cars onto roofs and damaging buildings. weapons. ”
A Russian Su-34 aircraft, a twin-engine fighter-bomber, ejected ammunition over the city of Belgorod, 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Russian state news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS. .
“At about 22:15 on April 20, when a Su-34 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces was flying over the city of Belgorod, an emergency release of aviation weapons occurred,” TASS quoted the Russian Defense Ministry. I’m saying.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, said in a Telegram post, “It occurred at the intersection of Central Street and left a huge impact crater with a radius of 20 meters.
The overturned car landed on the roof of the store, according to RIA Novosti.
Belgorod mayor Valentin Demidov wrote on his Telegram channel that several apartments were damaged by the blast.
Gladkov said two people were reportedly injured in the explosion.
Russian state media boasted about the country’s Su-34 fighter jets last December when it said it had been handed over a “new batch of frontline bombers” to be used by the Russian military against Ukraine. The specific number of units to be delivered has not been disclosed.
“The Su-34 bomber constitutes the basic strike force of Russia’s frontline aircraft. It has an extended combat capability that allows it to strike a wider range and expand the conditions of its bombing accuracy,” TASS said at the time.
Aircraft can carry a variety of munitions, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, guided and unguided bombs.
Russian state media did not disclose the type of ammunition that fell in Belgorod late Thursday.
Moscow’s Su-34 fleet has suffered heavy losses since the war began, with some estimates at over 10% destroyed. Oryx, an open-source intelligence website based in the Netherlands, says it has visual evidence that 19 aircraft were lost both in combat and non-combat.
‘Strange’ situation, analysts say
Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Institute for Asia and a former Royal Air Force officer, said pilots could fire a bomb if the aircraft lost power or, in the case of the Su-34, lost power in either of the two engines. said that it could be dumped.
But he called Thursday’s Belgorod incident “strange” for a number of reasons.
First, the ammunition exploded. In an emergency, the weapon is usually released in a “safe” mode to prevent it from exploding, unless “the bomb’s explosive filing is very sensitive to impact”.
Second, pilots typically drop bombs in sparsely populated areas.
“The locations where the bombs hit were in town centers rather than rural areas, suggesting near-accuracy,” Layton said.
Third, in the event of a problem, fighters are expected to jettison all ammunition, not just one. “Maybe only one exploded,” Leighton said.
The Belgorod region has been the site of several explosions and bombings since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this week, a village in the region on the border with Ukraine was attacked by Kiev forces, Gladkov claimed in a Telegram post.
Citing unnamed sources, local media reported that two drones dropped small bombs on a local thermal power plant.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident.
“I neither confirm nor deny [Ukraine’s involvement]Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency head Andriy Yusov said in comments aired on Ukrainian state television on Monday.
“I think the Russians should get used to the fact that while they are waging an unjust war of aggression, there is no safe place on their territory.”
“War has already come to the homes of all Russian fascists and all subjects of the Russian regime,” he added.
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