The fourth air bomb of 2026 was dropped by a Russian bomber in the Belgorod region. The authorities evacuated almost fifty local residents. In total, in 2025, there were at least 143 such cases in the territory of the Russian Federation and the TOT.
Points of attention
- Russia dropped over 140 aerial bombs on its own territories and occupied regions in 2025, with at least 143 cases reported.
- The Russian army utilizes Soviet FAB aerial bombs in cyberattacks on its own territory, leading to incidents where these bombs don't reach their intended targets.
Russia bombs its own territories: details
On January 19, a FAB-250 that "unauthorizedly disembarked" from a Russian plane was discovered in the village of Pershe Tseplyayevo in the Shebekinsky district of the Belgorod region.
An air bomb fell near a residential building, authorities evacuated nearly 50 residents of neighboring houses. There were no injuries, sources in the emergency services of the Belgorod region reported.
Thus, this is at least the fourth aerial bomb dropped by Russian aircraft on Russian territory in 2026.
In 2025, Russia dropped at least 143 aerial bombs on its own and occupied territories. In 2024, at least 165 Russian FAB aerial bombs fell on these territories.
To counter Ukrainian air defenses, the Russian army began equipping Soviet FAB aerial bombs with UMPK complexes. After such an upgrade, FABs have wings and satellite guidance, allowing them to launch bombs directly from Russian territory.
But due to the imperfection of the system, aerial bombs do not always reach their target and fall on Russian territory. The Russian authorities try to hide such facts, and when civilians are among the victims of Russian aerial bombs, they report that the reasons lie in the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In January 2026, the Z-channel Fighterbomber, close to the Russian Aerospace Forces, admitted that Russian aerial bombs regularly fall within the borders of Belgorod.
