A surprising truth has come to light in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia, which dropped thousands of guided bombs on Ukraine, had hundreds of its bombs fall on its own territory due to a technical fault. According to independent media organization Astra, at least 334 bombs have been accidentally dropped in Russia and its occupied territories since the war began in February 2022, while 26 such cases have been recorded in 2026 alone. In these accidents, people died, trains derailed, houses were destroyed and huge potholes were formed in many residential areas. After all, why are so many modern guided bombs falling in our own country? Is it technical failure, lack of maintenance or the pressure of constant combat? Let us understand in simple language why this is happening again and again with Russia and what is the biggest reason behind it.
Why are Russian bombs falling in our own country?
According to the independent media organization Astra, since the beginning of the full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022, at least 334 Russian bombs have accidentally fallen on Russia or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. In 2026 alone, 26 such cases have been registered. Astra editor-in-chief Anastasia Chumakova says that this figure is based only on those incidents that have been confirmed by emergency services, eyewitnesses or documents. He believes the actual number could be much higher. In recent cases, a passenger train derailed after a bomb fell on a railway track in the Belgorod region, while one person died in another accident.
How do guided bombs work and where are the mistakes happening?
According to BBC report, Russia is using guided bombs the most in these attacks. Special kits and folding wings are installed in these bombs. Fighter planes drop them from within the Russian border so that they remain out of the reach of Ukraine’s air defense system. After this, the bombs open their wings and travel a long distance in the air to reach the target. But in many cases these wings do not open on time. In such a situation, the guided bomb falls directly on the ground like a normal bomb and many times it explodes in Russia’s own territory.
What technical reason did the expert give?
Ruslan Leviev, head of the independent research group Conflict Intelligence Team, believes the problem may lie in the small explosive mechanism that activates the spring that opens the wings. If this mechanism does not work then the guided bomb becomes an ordinary bomb and falls straight down. He also said that Russia is using more than 6,000 guided bombs every month. In such a situation, it is not unusual to have some technical glitches. Meanwhile, BBC Russian Service’s defense correspondent Pavel Aksenov says that due to the continuous war, the quality of repair and maintenance of aircraft is also being affected.
Why are most of the accidents happening in Belgorod?
According to BBC report, most of the accidents have occurred in the Belgorod region of Russia. This area is directly adjacent to Kharkiv region of Ukraine. Russia often flies its fighter planes from this area and drops guided bombs on Kharkiv, Ukraine. According to the Telegram update of Oleg Sinihubov, head of the military administration of the Kharkiv region, by June 29, 2026, Russia has fired 473 guided bombs on the region. Due to these continuous campaigns, the possibility of technical malfunction and human error is also increasing.
Why is Russia hiding these incidents?
According to the report, there is very little official confirmation of incidents of bombs falling in Russia’s own territory. Astra editor-in-chief Anastasia Chumakova claims that in one case the governor of Belgorod blamed Ukraine for the damage, even though the Russian bomb was the cause. In another incident, police stopped people from taking photographs of a bomb that had fallen on the road. For this reason, it is considered difficult to reveal the actual figures of these accidents. However, there have been reports of many people getting injured and even dying in these incidents.
If the war continues, danger will remain
The report says that guided bombs are still among Russia’s most used weapons. Therefore, there will be a risk of technical faults in their use. Experts believe that as long as Russia continues to use such bombs on a large scale against Ukraine, the possibility of such accidents will not be completely eliminated. At present, Russia has not made public any detailed official information on these incidents, while independent media and research institutions are continuously documenting these cases.
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