Russia Bombs Own Town Four Times by Mistake: Report

Russian forces mistakenly dropped four bombs on its own village near to the Ukrainian border, according to a local report, marking what appears to be the latest such case in the ongoing war.

Four Russian glide bombs intended for attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv region were dropped on the town of Shebekino. This is located in the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, independent Russian outlet Astra reported on its Telegram channel on Monday. There were no casualties reported, but there was damage to the facade of a residential building, it said.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify the report and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry by email for additional comment. The Kremlin hasn't commented on the reported incident.

The Belgorod region is regularly used by Moscow's forces to launch attacks on Ukraine, and it houses several Russian military bases and training grounds, which Kyiv has attacked. The region has recently been rocked by near-daily explosions as Russian President Vladimir Putin's war spills across the border.

Astra said that, on May 17, three of Russia's lethal FAB glide bombs were found in Shebekino. On the same day, another was found near a residential building. The facade of a house, fence and window were damaged, the outlet added.

It is the latest in a string of incidents reported this year that involved Russia's military accidentally dropping munitions and missiles on its own territory. Astra said on May 17 that, over the past three months, Moscow's forces dropped at least 46 aerial bombs from their aircraft on Russian soil or on occupied territories of Ukraine.

On May 16 alone, Russian military aircraft dropped eight FAB aerial bombs on the Belgorod region, Astra reported. "Fortunately, in all cases, the ammunition did not detonate and there were no casualties," it said.

Earlier this month, independent online newspaper The Moscow Times reported that at least 25 aerial bombs have been dropped by Russian aircraft on its own territory, or that which Putin has proclaimed to have annexed from Ukraine, since the beginning of spring. There have been 33 such incidents since January, the publication said.

Russian authorities have typically acknowledged the dropping of munitions on its territory, but tend to cover up the incidents. They say that there was "an abnormal discharge of ammunition," Astra noted. Moscow has added that there have been emergency releases of aviation munitions.

Vladimir Zhdanov, the head of Shebekino, said on his social-media channels on May 18 that he had met with residents of households damaged as a result of the "fall of an explosive object" the day before. He didn't specify whether the damage was caused by Russian or Ukrainian forces.

"Thanks to the coordinated work of the emergency services, it was possible to remove the explosive object without consequences," Zhdanov wrote.

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