Russia accidentally dropped dozens of powerful bombs on its own territory while launching attacks against Ukraine, according to a startling report Monday.
Most of the so-called glide bombs didn't detonate, but one that did blasted a 65-foot-wide crater in a normally busy street, the Washington Post said, citing an internal Russian document.
The document, which was intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence, said at least 38 bombs landed in Russia's Belgorod border region between April 2023 and April 2024, the Post said.
They included at least four that fell on the city of Belgorod and seven that were found in the surrounding suburbs, the Post said.
Another 11 bombs reportedly landed in the Grayvoronsky border district, but some couldn't be recovered due to the "difficult operational situation" there.
Most of the unexploded bombs were reportedly discovered by forest rangers, farmers and other civilians, and Russia's Defense Ministry didn't know when most had been launched, suggesting some weren't found for days.
The Russian government didn't respond to a request for comment on the document or accidents involving its glide bombs, the Post said.
Russia manufactures glide bombs by retrofitting Soviet-era "dumb bombs" with pop-out wings and navigation systems similar to the more-advanced U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition kit, according to the Post.
That reportedly allows the Russian bombs to be dropped from aircraft about 40 miles from their targets, beyond the reach of most Ukrainian air defense systems.
But the Russian guidance systems often fail, resulting in bombs falling short of their marks and landing inside Russia, the Post said.
No casualties were reported as a result of the accidents detailed in the Russian document, which includes a spreadsheet and appears to have been produced by the Belgorod city emergency department, the Post said.
But several explosions in Russia since April may have been caused by its glide bombs.
They include a May 12 blast that destroyed several stories of an apartment complex in Belgorod and killed 17 people, the Post said.
Another explosion, on June 15, killed five people in the partial collapse of a five-story building in the town of Shebekino near Belgorod.
The independent Russian news outlet Astra estimates that Russia has accidentally dropped more than 100 bombs on its own territory and occupied areas of Ukraine during the past four months amid an increase in its use of glide bombs, the Post said.
