Multitudes of Russian bombs drop on Russian ground self-inflictedly
The Russian military highly values long-range glide bombs for their potential in the ongoing conflict, yet Ukrainian defenders struggle to counteract them. However, these weapons have a significant flaw – they don't always reach Ukraine.
At present, Russia is bombarding various targets in the Charkiw region with glide bombs. The advantage lies in the ability to hurl these projectiles way beyond the enemy's air defense range. Unfortunately, it isn't unheard of for the explosive charges to accidentally detonate on Russian soil. As per the Russian independent news agency Astra, an unprecedented number of over 100 instances have occurred within the last four months, with each incident involving 500 to 1500 kilogram bombs.
A staggering 103 glide bombs are said to have failed to clear the Belgorod border. In nearly all instances, the dropped explosive charges were conventional bombs, fitted with a Russian-developed guidance and range-extension module (UMPC). These modules were first used extensively by Russia at the beginning of 2024.
According to official Ukrainian data, Russian aircraft dropped an average of 50 to 100 guided bombs daily, with occasional spikes reaching up to 150 pieces, until May.
One of the most catastrophic accidental Russian bombing drops in recent weeks occurred at a five-story residential building in Schebekino. Russian emergency services reported that five residents lost their lives in the blast, two more died in the hospital, and six were injured. Russia accused the Ukrainian Air Force of the incident, despite the fact that no Ukrainian aircraft were flying in the border region. In a statement, the Ukrainian military dismissed these claims, stating that Schebekino is frequently utilized by Russian pilots as an inexpensive drop zone for glide bombs.
Military analyst Ruslan Leviev attributes the Schebekino incident to a poorly-designed and mass-produced guidance mechanism in the bomb assembly. "It's crucial to recognize that UMPCs differ from Western 'high precision' devices primarily because they are mass-produced using electronics with lower reliability standards. This can frequently cause such incidents and resulting casualties," Leviev explained.
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The escalating 'Attack on Ukraine' has led to numerous 'Wars and conflicts', with Russia as a key player. This has resulted in the frequent use of Russian bombers, deploying weapons such as glide bombs, causing unintended 'Weapons' detonations on Russian soil.
Despite Russia's reliance on glide bombs in the 'Attack on Ukraine', the frequent misfires are causing concern and raising questions about the reliability of these Russian-developed guidance and range-extension modules (UMPCs).
