Russian air bomb hits Belgorod, leaving crater and forcing evacuations

According to Belgorod region Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov, after a “crater from a munition” was discovered, about 1,700 people were evacuated, with roughly 50 staying at a temporary accommodation center.

Traffic has been blocked on the section of the street where the aerial bomb fell.

The Russian Telegram channel Astra said authorities have not specified the munition’s origin, but local groups report that it was an aerial bomb.

Journalists note it was likely Russian.

The first aerial bomb dropped by a Russian bomber on the Belgorod region in 2026 was a 500-kilogram high-explosive FAB-500, which fell on Jan. 5 near the village of Batratska Dacha in the Shebekino district.

In 2025, Russia dropped at least 143 aerial bombs on its own territory or on occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Astra’s findings.

In 2024, at least 165 FAB aerial bombs fell on those territories, the outlet reported.

On Dec. 6, 2025, the Telegram channel Pepel Belgorod reported that an aerial bomb accidentally dropped by Russian aircraft fell near a power plant in Belgorod, causing power outages in the city and nearby areas.