A Russian Su-34 bomber takes off for a training mission in the Krasnodar region of Russia, Jan. 19, 2022.
Vitaliy Timkiv/AP
Vitaliy Timkiv/AP
MOSCOW — Russia’s military said one of its own fighter jets accidentally bombed a Russian city near the border with Ukraine.
An SU-34 air force plane had an “accidental discharge” of its payload over the Russian city of Belgorod on Thursday, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The large resulting explosion created a 65-feet-wide crater in a central city street, damaging buildings and injuring three people.
Belgorod and other border regions have come under occasional attacks during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia blames the strikes on Ukraine, which doesn’t claim direct responsibility for them.
This handout photo posted on the Telegram social messaging channel of Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov shows the site of the crater after an explosion in Belgorod, Russia, on Friday. A large explosion hit Belgorod late Thursday, and the Defense Ministry said one of its Su-34 warplanes accidentally discharged ammunition over the city about 15 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Telegram channel of Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov via AP
Telegram channel of Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov via AP
This handout photo released by the Telegram channel of Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov shows a damaged apartment building near the site of an explosion in Belgorod, Russia, on Friday.
Telegram channel of Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov via AP
Telegram channel of Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov via AP
But Thursday’s explosion in Belgorod was reported to be more powerful than what residents had previously experienced.
Russian planes have caused damage in their own country before. Last October, an SU-34 jet crashed into an apartment building in the southern Russian border town of Yeysk, killing dozens of people in their homes.