02 January 2024 , 12:14
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Vladimir Putin's air force has admitted to a humiliating missile blunder which blitzed a Russian village 95 miles from the border with Ukraine.
Images show devastation in Petropavlovka, in the Voronezh region, where at least six houses were damaged as half a street was destroyed. A huge crater was seen in the ground and locals were forced to evacuate. Ukrainian sources believe a powerful subsonic missile hit the village after misfiring from an unspecified Russian warplane and officials denied any casualties.
A Russian defence ministry spokesman admitted a missile intended to cause carnage in Ukraine had hit the Russian village in error. A statement said: "On January 2, at about 9:00am, during a flight of an [air force] plane over the village of Petropavlovka in Voronezh region, an abnormal discharge of aircraft ammunition occurred.
"There were no casualties. Six private buildings were damaged. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway. A commission is working on site to assess the nature of the damage and assist in the restoration of houses.”
The accident came as Russia was bombarding Ukraine with hundreds of missiles including a record number of hypersonic rockets. Ukraine's two largest cities came under attack this morning, killing at least four people and injuring almost 100, officials said, as the war approached its two-year milestone.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital, Kyiv, and in northeastern Kharkiv as hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound slammed into city blocks. Since Sunday, Zelenskyy said, the Kremlin's forces have launched about 170 Shahed drones and "dozens of missiles of various types" against Ukrainian targets. Most were aimed at civilian areas, he said.
A huge crater after an attack by Putin (social media/e2w)The barrage extended Russia's escalated attacks on Ukraine that began Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed. The next day, shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod killed more than two dozen people.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack and has struck back repeatedly since. The attack on Belgorod was one of the deadliest to take place on Russian soil since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started more than 22 months ago. Russian officials said the death toll stood at 25 as of Monday, including five children.
Russian war blogger Callsign Bruce said a "technical malfunction" meant the missile "fell in the Voronezh region, damaging houses." He continued: "It’s very cool that we recognise this at the official level and do not shift responsibility to anyone. Admitting any of your failures is worthy.
"It would be better, of course, if there was nothing to admit, but anything can happen. I am confident that the regional authorities are already providing all the necessary assistance to home owners. And they definitely won’t leave them to their fate."