Russian munitions misfire: Bombs mistakenly fall on own soil
"A Russian plane inadvertently dropped a bomb on a village within the Krasnodar Territory, an event the Russians have not publicly addressed," reports the Ukrainian agency Unian. This incident marks another instance of Russian munitions mistakenly landing in their own country.
5:49 AM EDT, May 8, 2024
In recent months, the Russian Federation has grappled with a significant issue concerning its missiles and bombs. Frequently, these munitions fail to reach their intended targets, with those meant for Ukraine often landing within Russian borders instead.
The upsurge in such mishaps since the onset of 2024 suggests a potential link to the accelerated pace of weapons production and the subpar quality control measures for the newly manufactured ammunition. In this period, the internet has seen a proliferation of images depicting these "misguided" missiles, including the Kh-35 and incidents of unintentional releases of Kalibr and OFAB-250 bombs onto Russian soil.
Recurring incidents of misplaced munitions in Russia
The latest of these covered-up incidents, as Unian reveals, occurred on Tuesday, May 7th, marking yet another situation where a bomb was dropped on a Russian village, this time within the Krasnodar Territory, soon after a similar occurrence.
The weapon in question was presumably the FAB bomb, commonly deployed by Russian forces in Ukraine. This same model, the FAB, was documented as having fallen earlier in the month—on May 4th in Belgorod and then on May 3rd in the village of Krutoi Log.
The recent case pertains to a bomb drop in Vorontsovka, situated along the Sea of Azov. It appears the intention was to dispatch the munition towards southern Ukraine.
Considering the variety within the FAB bomb family, which includes models ranging from approximately 551 pounds (FAB-250) to heavier versions like the 3307 pounds (FAB-1500), the absence of casualties in this particular incident suggests one of the lighter variants, such as the 551 or 1102 pounds models, was used.
Among these, the FAB-500, a design dating back to 1943, stands out for its historical usage. A single FAB-500 bomb measures over 6.5 feet in length (in its basic configuration) and slightly less than 16 inches in diameter. The explosive yield varies with the model, accounting for roughly 440 to 660 pounds of the device. An FAB-500 can create a crater approximately 39 feet wide and 13 feet deep upon detonation. Of note is that the FAB-500 served as the basis for designing the more modern KAB-500, comparable to the American GBU-15.
