Russia accidentally bombs its own village near Ukraine

Russia has admitted to unintentionally bombing a village in its southern Voronezh region near Ukraine on Tuesday and emphasised that no one was hurt in the incident.

This accident happened on the same day when Russia launched a significant missile attack on Ukraine. This isn't the first time such a mistake occurred during Russia's nearly two-year-long offensive in Ukraine. 

In April of the previous year, the Russian army acknowledged that one of its warplanes accidentally dropped a bomb in its city of Belgorod, near the Ukraine border, resulting in an explosion.

The Russian news agency quoted a statement by the Russian army, “On January 2, 2024, at around 9 am Moscow time, during a flight of the Aerospace Forces, an abnormal discharge of aircraft ammunition occurred over the village of Petropavlovka in the Voronezh region.”

Petropavlovka lies some 150 kilometers east of Russia's border with Ukraine.  

It added that no one was killed or injured in the resulting explosion caused by the release, but said at least six privately owned buildings had been damaged.

Furthermore, the statement reads, “An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway. A commission is working on the ground to assess the nature of the damage and provide assistance to restore houses.”

The Governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, mentioned that certain residents from Petropavlovka have been relocated to temporary housing. He clarified that, fortunately, no one was injured, but acknowledged that there is damage in seven households.