Russian mishap: Bomb unintentionally dropped on own village
8 May 2024 07:50
"A Russian plane dropped a bomb on a village in the Krasnodar Territory, but the Russians are silent about this event," reports the Ukrainian agency Unian. This marks another instance of Russian ammunition falling within the Russian Federation's borders.
In recent months, it has become apparent that the Russian Federation is grappling with a significant issue concerning its munitions: they often fail to reach their intended target. Typically, missiles meant for Ukraine end up landing within Russian territory instead.
These incidents have surged since the beginning of 2024; a trend analysts attribute to the ramped-up pace of weapons production and a lapse in the quality control of newly produced ammunition. There have been numerous instances reported online of "misplaced" missiles, including the Kh-35, landing in Russia. Accidental drops of Kalibr missiles and OFAB-250 bombs on Russian soil have also been recorded.
Russians accidentally bomb their own territory again
This time, the incident, which – as per Unian’s report – Russia is keenly concealing, has captured media interest. It happened on Tuesday, May 7th, marking another bombing within just a few days on one of the villages in the Krasnodar Territory.
It was likely another FAB bomb, the weapon of choice for Russian bombings in Ukraine. Notably, this FAB bomb had previously fallen on May 4th in Belgorod, and on May 3rd, the same type of munition landed on the Russian village of Krutoi Log.
The recent event concerns Vorontsovka in the Krasnodar Territory, a village by the Sea of Azov. This location suggests that the Russians intended to direct the bomb towards the southern part of Ukraine.
Regarding the FAB bombs that landed in the Krasnodar Territory, these munitions are part of a family of Soviet general-purpose aerial bombs varying in weight. The range includes lighter models around 250 kilograms (FAB-250) and 500 kilograms (FAB-500), to heavier ones like the 1,500 kilograms (FAB-1500) and beyond. The absence of casualties in the latest drop suggests a lighter variant was used, weighing approximately 250 or 500 kilograms.
The second model, FAB-500, is based on an old design used in 1943. A bomb of this type is over 2 meters long (in its basic version), with a diameter of just under 41 centimetres. Depending on the variant, the warhead weighs between 200 and 300 kilograms. The explosion of an FAB-500 can create a crater up to about 12 meters in diameter and 4 meters in depth. It's also noteworthy that the FAB-500 served as a basis for the Russians to develop a more modern bomb, the KAB-500, comparable to the American GBU-15.
