Internal Documents Reveal Russian Glide Bomb Mishaps on Domestic Territory

Dozens of Russian glide bombs have reportedly fallen on Russian territory, according to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post.

These documents, originating from the Belgorod region’s authorities, detail incidents where bombs intended for Ukrainian targets have instead landed within Russia. The documents outline specific locations of these incidents, as well as discussions on bomb disposal and evacuation protocols in case of emergencies.

The documents reveal that at least 38 bombs, attributed to recent Russian territorial gains, fell in the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, between April 2023 and April 2024. Most of these bombs did not detonate. Notably, at least four bombs struck Belgorod city, a regional centre with a population of approximately 400,000. Another seven bombs were found in surrounding suburbs. The highest number, eleven, fell in the border-adjacent Graivoron district, where some could not be located due to “complex operational conditions”.

source: Russian military document obtained by The Washington Post

The document, initially intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence and passed to The Post, includes a table of incidents referencing emergency decrees for bomb disposal and evacuation, compiled by Belgorod city’s emergency department.

Most bombs were discovered by civilians – foresters, farmers, or local villagers.

In many cases, the Russian Ministry of Defence was unaware of when the bombs were launched, indicating that some may have been on the ground for days before being found.

Independent Russian media outlet Astra confirmed that many incidents described in the document align with those reported by local authorities and in regional media.

Local authorities typically remain silent about these incidents, often attributing them to “accidents”, blaming Ukrainian shelling, or not reporting various explosions in the region, especially recently.

Astra estimates that Russia has accidentally dropped over a hundred bombs on its own territory and on occupied areas in eastern Ukraine in the past four months. This period coincides with a significant increase in the use of glide bombs.

The Russian government did not respond to The Post’s request for comment on the document or the reports of failed glide bomb deployments.

Glide bombs are a Cold War-era Soviet relic, originally designed as “dumb bombs” to be dropped on targets. Russia has adapted this large arsenal of unguided bombs for modern warfare by upgrading them with guidance systems known as UMPC kits – inexpensive retractable wings and navigation systems.

This allows Russian Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft to launch them from about 40 miles away, a range beyond most Ukrainian air defence systems.

The Washington Post notes that glide bombs have added pressure on Ukraine’s ground-based air defences and played a crucial role in the destruction of Avdiivka, captured by Russian forces in mid-February.

“The best defence for Ukraine against these bombs is the American Patriot surface-to-air missile, which can destroy a Russian aircraft before it gets close enough to release the bomb, but these systems are in short supply,” writes the publication.

In late March, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced the development of a new, heavier version of the glide bomb, FAB-3000. It was deployed on 21 June against the Ukrainian village of Liptsi.

Russian military officials also reported a sharp increase in the production of lighter FAB-500 and FAB-1500 bombs.

In April 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that an explosion in the Russian city of Belgorod was caused by the fall of an aviation munition during a flight of an Su-34 fighter-bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The military stated that residential buildings were damaged as a result of the incident.

Additionally, in January 2024, a Russian shell fell in the village of Petropavlivka in the Voronezh region of Russia, near the Ukrainian border, during a missile attack on Ukraine. A local resident reported on video that the explosion destroyed an entire street. According to him, a missile had fallen.

Prior to this, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that in just one week, Russia had used over 800 guided aviation bombs against Ukraine. “Ukraine needs the necessary forces and means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian combat aircraft where they are. This step is needed,” he said.

According to President Zelensky, to effectively counter Russian guided aviation bombs (GAB), the Ukrainian Armed Forces require not only Patriot air defence systems but also long-range ATACMS missiles.

Main image source: iiss.org

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