Russian warplane accidentally strikes own city

A Russian warplane accidentally fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine on Thursday, causing an explosion and damaging buildings, said a report by state-owned Tass news agency, citing the defence ministry. The resulting blast formed a crater measuring 20 metres across on one of the city’s main streets, said Belgorod’s regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also announced a state of emergency.

The Russian defence ministry said a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane “accidentally discharged” aviation ammunition while flying over Belgorod, a city which lies just across the border from Ukraine. Two women were injured in the blast, said Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The defence ministry did not clarify the weapon involved in the incident. According to Tass, Russia said an investigation has been initiated and some buildings were damaged in the blast.

Visuals from the site of the explosion showed several damaged cars and a building with broken windows.The Belgorod region is one of several parts of southern Russia where targets such as fuel and ammunition stores have been rocked by explosions since the start of the ongoing war with Ukraine in February 2022.