A sergeant inadvertently detonated a grenade near a stockpile of ammunition in Belgorod, Russia, killing three soldiers and injuring sixteen more.
According to Russian news sources, the explosion occurred in a converted cultural building near the Ukrainian border that was being used to store munitions and house Russian soldiers.
The preliminary cause of the explosion, according to a source from the local emergency services, is negligent handling of munitions.
In May of 2022, a pro-Russian unit armed with a rocket-propelled grenade in Mariupol, Ukraine. Since last year, Russia’s campaign in Ukraine has frequently involved the use of explosives.
In September 2022, abandoned weapons boxes were discovered in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine.
According to emergency services, a sergeant accidentally detonated an RGD-5 anti-personnel grenade in the building’s sleeping quarters, adjacent to the weapons storage room, resulting in an explosion and a fire that expanded to 4,843 square feet (450 square metres).
Independent news agency online Baza asserted that the sergeant picked up the grenade so that he could appear more authoritative in front of his subordinates.
Due to the explosion and subsequent fires, fifteen people were forced to escape adjoining buildings in Tonenkoye, and eight soldiers are still missing as of Sunday evening.
According to additional accounts, the officer was a “senior sergeant” and platoon leader.
The 112 and Baza Telegram channels, which are affiliated with Russia’s law enforcement services, reported that the deceased and injured were conscripts mobilized to fight in Ukraine.
Reports did not provide the specific date and time of the incident.
The Belgorod region borders the northeast of Ukraine, where the city of Kharkiv has been the target of repeated Russian missile assaults since the February 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
Eleven soldiers were killed in October when a shooter opened fire on one of the numerous military sites in the Belgorod region.
There have also been explosions at fuel and ammo depots, which Moscow attributes on Ukrainian attacks. Without claiming responsibility, Kyiv has referred to them as “karma” for the Russian invasion.
A Russian news outlet, Telegram channel 112, said that a criminal investigation had been initiated in response to the occurrence.