According to TASS, which cites the Defense Ministry, a Russian warplane unintentionally fired on the Russian city of Belgorod near Ukraine on Thursday night (April 20), setting off an explosion and damaging houses.
Local authorities reported a powerful explosion in the city, which is located opposite the border with Ukraine. The governor of the region said that two women were injured.
#Russia: Explosion so massive a car flew up and landed on the roof of the building. Possibly a car bomb. Downtown #Belgorod. pic.twitter.com/VDTP82BDYw
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) April 20, 2023
“During the flight of a Su-34 aircraft over the city of Belgorod, an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition occurred,” TASS quoted the Defense Ministry as saying.
It was not reported what kind of weapon it was.
The Su-34 is a supersonic fighter bomber.
The ministry said some buildings were damaged and announced that an investigation was underway, TASS reported.
Declaring a state of emergency, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram that a 20-meter diameter crater had formed on one of the central streets. He added that four cars and four residential buildings were damaged.
Video from the scene shows piles of concrete on the street, several damaged cars, and a building with broken windows. One image shows an overturned car on the roof of a store.
The Belgorod region is one of several parts of southern Russia where targets such as fuel and ammunition depots have been hit since the start of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
