Media: Russians dropped at least 128 aerial bombs in Russia and occupied areas since March

Another Russian FAB-500 bomb was found several kilometers from the village of Neklyudovo in the Shebekino urban district of Belgorod Oblast on 10 October, according to sources in the region’s emergency services cited by the Russian news Telegram channel Astra. No casualties or damage were reported.

This incident reportedly marks at least the 128th air-dropped bomb to fall on Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine from March to October this year, as calculated by Astra. Previously, UK intelligence reports suggested systemic issues such as aircrew fatigue, poor training, and unsafe tactical execution behind the repeated accidental bombings of Russian villages by Russian military aircraft.

The Russian military has been modifying Soviet-era FAB bombs with UMPK (Unified gliding and correction module) gliding kits to counter Ukrainian air defenses. These modifications add wings and satellite guidance to the bombs, allowing them to be launched from within Russian territory. However, this update has led to a recurring problem: the bombs often fail to reach their intended targets in Ukraine.

Astra reports that FAB-250 and FAB-500 bombs are the most frequent types to fall short of their targets. Usually, these bombs do not explode upon unscheduled dropping and are later destroyed by explosive ordnance disposal teams.

In a notable incident on 4 May, a Russian aircraft dropped a FAB-500 on Belgorod City, resulting in seven injuries, damage to 31 households, and 10 vehicles. Authorities reportedly concealed the cause of the bomb’s fall and its Russian origin.

The issue is not limited to smaller bombs. In early July, a FAB-3000 bomb fell from a Russian aircraft onto Belgorod Oblast for the first time, exploding in a field near Shebekino. Due to its location, there were no casualties or injuries.

The numbers in the names of these bombs indicate their total weight. The Russian army began actively using UMPK-modified bombs in the spring of this year, with confirmed use of the winged FAB-3000 in Ukraine.

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