Unintended bombings: Russian Aerospace Forces drop five bombs on Belgorod region in one day
The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) dropped five more bombs on the Belgorod region in a single day, yet the Kremlin seeks to hide this from the public. The causes of these incidents are unclear, but they likely stem from the poor quality of Russian weaponry, reports the news outlet by ASTRA, citing Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CITeam).
As of June 15, 2024, FABs (guided bombs) were found near the villages of Arkhangelskoye and Tseplyaevo-Druzhki, with two more falling near the village of Bilyanka.
Another FAB was discovered near a residential building in Malomikhaylovka. Residents of Korolev Street were evacuated, sources from ASTRA in the region's emergency services reported. All villages are located in the Shebekino urban district.
The Conflict Intelligence Team believes that the "unintentional release" of ordnance is due to the "insufficient reliability of UMPK (universal planning and correction modules that equip FABs, allowing free-falling bombs to become planning bombs)".
"We are not entirely sure of the reasons, as similar Western weaponry does not exhibit this problem. This issue has existed since the introduction of UMPK," Leviev explained.
"In our estimation, a very small percentage of bombs - possibly mere percentages - fail, so this issue does not greatly affect the practical effectiveness of this weaponry. One of our hypotheses is that the poor quality of the pyro cartridges, which are supposed to deploy the wings, could be a critical factor, though other possible mechanical or electronic issues cannot be ruled out. Both design defects and manufacturing deficiencies are to be considered," he continued.
Notably, unlike Western "precision" weaponry, UMPKs are produced relatively cheaply and in large quantities using civilian electronics, which have lower reliability standards. However, on the ground, this can occasionally lead to serious incidents and casualties, Leviev concluded.
Leviev also recalled instances of aerial bombs hitting private homes in the Belgorod region and an apartment building collapsing in Belgorod itself.