The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its fighter jets inadvertently struck the eastern city of Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border.
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According to Newsweek, the explosion was reported by Belgorod’s city center Thursday evening, and multi-story buildings were damaged. According to officials, three people were hurt in the blast, caused by an emergency ammunition drop.
Video posted on social media captured what Russia said was a mistaken hit on Belgorod, a city near the border with Ukraine. The strike, which was followed by a large explosion, wounded three people and caused panic.https://t.co/JSbFev9sw2 pic.twitter.com/uKqjv2Aoar
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 21, 2023
“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,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced on his Telegram channel that the blast destroyed four apartments, four cars, and powerline poles.
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Gladkov added that a woman was hospitalized with a head injury but was thankful there were no casualties in the city. Residents who lived in the apartments were given temporary accommodations at a hotel until restorations were finished within the following weeks.
On January 14, a sergeant detonated a grenade at his unit to assert his “authority,” killing three people and injuring 16. According to officials, the incident occurred when the sergeant “accidentally” exploded a hand grenade, causing ammunition to explode and catch fire.
April 21. Russian emergency service is working after the explosion in the city of Belgorod, Russia’s western region. Local guerilla groups are resisting this way against invasion of Ukraine, which is done in a way that contradicts international agreements on rules of war. pic.twitter.com/0RBKJOwmjQ
— Ivan Verstyuk (@VerstyukIvan) April 22, 2023
#Russia: a powerful explosion in #Belgorod, after which a large crater formed in the middle of the street:
Eyewitnesses continue to upload videos from the street (in this thread 🧵⬇️), people are asked to leave the place with a funnel.
From the shock wave, a car was thrown… pic.twitter.com/Hxfk5lwqks
— ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) April 20, 2023
More footage from #Belgorod 💥
Interesting things are reported from the places. In Belgorod, a part of a house on Shalandina Street was damaged, shell fragments were found in one of the apartments, and the house was evacuated.
People from Belgorod who were in the area of the… pic.twitter.com/K9t4bttDCk
— ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) April 20, 2023
Belgorod is a western Russian city located around 700 kilometers south of Moscow. While the city has a military presence, it is not well-known for being a military installation. Belgorod, with a population of over 400,000 people, is home to various military formations, including the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, but it is also a cultural, educational, and industrial powerhouse. The city’s museums, theaters, and parks, as well as its universities and research organizations, are well-known.