Russia’s defense ministry has said one of its own fighter jet 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-storey buildings were damaged, while the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said three people were injured in the blast.
MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images
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.
This is a developing story and it will be updated.
