Russian FAB-500 bomb. Photo: Wikipedia.
In the early morning hours of 19 November, another incident involving Russian aerial bombs occurred in the village of Bykivka, Yakovlevka urban district. Around 6:00 am, a UMPB bomb went off course uncontrollably and hit the local school building. The munition pierced the roof and got stuck in an office on the third floor. This was reported by Time Ukraine Israel with reference to Astra.
Despite the danger, the school was not evacuated. Police and territorial defence officers arrived at the scene. The incident was also confirmed by a local Telegram channel.
Uncontrolled aerial bombs: the problem of scale
As it became known, this case is far from isolated. In 2024 alone, at least 150 incidents involving the fall of aerial bombs, including FAB-250 and FAB-500, were recorded in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. For example, on 15 November, one of the bombs fell one and a half kilometres from the village of Bilyi Kolodyaz in the Shebekinsky urban district. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage.
The threat to Ukraine
Russian forces regularly use precision-guided aerial bombs to attack Ukrainian towns and villages. The Kharkiv and Donetsk regions remain in the crosshairs, including the shelling of Kharkiv. Although most of the ammunition in the uncontrolled east does not explode, its disposal remains a dangerous task for explosives experts.
These incidents demonstrate serious problems in Russia’s arms management, while posing a threat to civilians both in Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
