An aerial bomb dropped by a Russian aircraft caused a train to derail in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
According to Russian outlet Astra, the incident took place in the Yakovlevsky District, where the bomb fell directly onto railway tracks. The munition did not detonate but damaged approximately 25 meters of track.
The engineer of the “Razumne-Tomarovka” train, which was carrying 15 passengers, spotted the damage in time and applied emergency brakes. Despite these efforts, the train still derailed.
A 75-year-old woman was injured in the incident. Sappers later arrived at the scene and removed a FAB-500 aerial bomb.
Initially, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the derailment may have been caused by an explosion. He later edited his statement, removing any reference to that version of events.
Earlier, Astra reported, citing sources in Russia’s Emergencies Ministry and monitoring data, that since the beginning of the year Russian aviation has accidentally dropped at least 24 high-explosive bombs on Russian territory and occupied regions of Ukraine.
The latest cases were recorded in Belgorod Oblast and in occupied Debaltseve in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where a munition fell into a private yard. In those incidents, no casualties were reported.
According to journalists, on March 15 a Russian FAB-500 aerial bomb “unauthorizedly disembarked” from an aircraft in the village of Luhanske near Debaltseve. The bomb landed in a vegetable garden next to a residential building on Artema Street.
Two additional bombs were also found in Belgorod Oblast – one near the village of Nechayevo and another near Sevryukovo. Military personnel later transported both munitions to a training ground, where they were destroyed.
Astra reports that such incidents are linked to flaws in the modernization of older Soviet-era bombs.
“To counter Ukrainian air defense, the Russian army began equipping Soviet FAB air bombs with MPK guidance kits,” the outlet wrote.
The Planning and Correction Module (MPK) is a retrofit kit developed by Russia’s Bazalt company to convert conventional unguided bombs – such as the RBK-500, FAB-250, and FAB-500 M-62 – into glide bombs, turning them into longer-range, higher-precision munitions.
These upgrades add wings and satellite navigation systems, allowing the bombs to be guided. However, technical errors often prevent them from reaching their intended targets.
The report also notes that Russian authorities rarely disclose such incidents. When civilians are affected, official statements often attribute the damage to Ukrainian attacks.
According to Astra’s data, accidental bomb drops have been frequent:
- 2024: at least 165 bombs
- 2025: at least 143 bombs
- 2026 (as of March): at least 24 bombs