In a mishap, Russia experienced a self-inflicted blunder near its border with Ukraine. An X-59 missile was found in a field near the village of Krasnoye in the Belgorod region, an area situated close to the Ukrainian border, is home to multiple Russian military bases and training facilities. The region has experienced a series of explosions during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine, with local officials frequently noting the presence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the vicinity. “The military had to neutralize it immediately. Fortunately, there was no damage or casualties,” reported the independent Russian media source.
This latest incident adds to a series of similar occurrences. Throughout this year, there have been multiple incidents documented where Russia’s military inadvertently released munitions and missiles on its own territory. Astra noted that just in March and April, Russian forces mistakenly dropped a minimum of 21 aerial bombs from their aircraft on Russian land or on territories under Ukrainian occupation.
Russian authorities often attempt to conceal these incidents, labeling them as “abnormal discharge of ammunition.” Moscow has also claimed that there were emergency jettisons of aviation munitions.
The pattern of self-bombing is not isolated to the Belgorod incident. Earlier this year, Russia accidentally released Soviet-designed FAB aerial bombs on Belgorod twice. Astra reported that on January 27, Russia inadvertently released Soviet-designed FAB aerial bombs on Belgorod on two separate occasions. Fortunately, the bombs did not detonate or result in any casualties, and they were safely defused the following day.
On January 21, a similar event involving a FAB bomb took place over one of its own dams in Belgorod.
Furthermore, on January 13, the Krasnodar area, part of the North Caucasus region in southern Russia, was the drop zone for Kalibr missiles twice in a single day. According to Astra, the initial Russian Kalibr missile landed in the area between the villages of Pavlovskaya and Atamanskaya in the morning, while the second missile fell in a field later in the evening. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage reported. The information was sourced from local emergency services, Russian military analyst Ian Matveev, and analysts from the Conflict Intelligence Team.
These internal incidents stand in stark contrast to the intentional use of missiles, such as the Kh-59, in attacks against targets in Ukraine. In a recent confirmed attack, Russia utilized a Kh-59 missile to strike a television infrastructure facility in the city of Kharkiv.
Relevant articles:
– Russia drops X-59 missile on Belgorod in latest self-bombing, newsweek.com, 04/23/2024
– Russia Plans ‘Strategic’ Economy Boost in Arctic, Newsweek, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:51:46 GMT
– Sweden’s Navy Chief Says Russian Shadow Fleet ‘Spying’ in NATO Lake, Newsweek, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:08:53 GMT
– Russia used Kh-59 missile to attack TV tower in Kharkiv – photo, video, Ukrainska Pravda, Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:12:00 GMT
– Russian Soldier Accidentally Films Detonation of Putin’s Prized Howitzer, Newsweek, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:18:43 GMT