Russia's Fighter Jet Accidentally Bombs Russian City, Damages Homes And Buildings

Russian authorities have confirmed that one of their warplanes accidentally fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine on Thursday.

In a report by Russian state media Tass, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane, a supersonic fighter-bomber jet, accidentally discharged ammunition while flying over Belgorod.

"As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod, there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition," the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

However, the diplomatic agency did not specify what kind of weapon was accidentally dropped.

The Russian Defense Ministry has likewise confirmed that an emergency ejection of an air ordinance happened while a Su-34 plane was flying over the southwestern part of Belgorod.

"During the flight of the Su-34 aircraft of the aerospace forces over the city of Belgorod, an abnormal descent of aviation ammunition has occurred," the Defense Ministry was quoted as saying by the Moscow Times.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod Oblast governor, has announced that a state of emergency has already been declared.

The incident created a 20-meter crater on one of the main streets in the city. Four cars and four apartment buildings were also damaged, and two civilians were reportedly injured by the explosion.

"According to preliminary information, two people were injured. One woman, who suffered a head injury, was hospitalized [at] City Hospital No. 2 in moderately severe condition. The other woman sustained skin abrasions and rejected hospitalization after receiving all the required medical assistance on the site," Gladkov said, per Tass.

Investigators and rescue teams of the Russian emergency ministries are working at the blast scene to collect information on the incident. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it would investigate the matter.

Valentin Demidov, Belgorod's mayor, said that residents of the damaged buildings would be temporarily moved to nearby hotels.

"A decision will be made after the incident site is examined. It is important to restore traffic via one of the city's main roads as soon as possible," added Gladkov.

Since the start of the war in February 2022, the Russian military has been conducting regular flybys on the city of Belgorod due to its proximity to the Ukrainian border — around 25 miles (40 kilometers).

The region's fuel and ammunition stores are the usual targets of attacks and explosions.