Kathrine Frich
Border communities in western Russia say they are living under constant threat as explosions continue to rock the region.
Amid the wider conflict with Ukraine, residents have accused Moscow’s own forces of causing part of the devastation.
New intercepted audio appears to capture the fear and confusion felt by civilians caught between Ukrainian strikes and erratic Russian bombardment.
Border residents alarmed
Reporting from the Daily Express says people living in the Belgorod area have described an unrelenting cycle of attacks since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
Ukrainian drones and missiles have repeatedly targeted refineries and defence facilities in an effort to disrupt Russian military operations.
Locals told the outlet they have endured conditions far worse than those in major cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg.
Emergency alerts, destroyed homes and mounting casualties have turned the region into one of the most heavily affected areas inside Russia.
But residents now argue that not all the incoming fire originates from Ukraine. Instead, some claim Russia’s own warplanes have repeatedly added to the destruction.
Intercepted phone call
According to the Daily Express, Ukraine’s intelligence services released an audio recording of a woman from Belgorod describing recent strikes carried out by Russian jets.
In the call, she recounts how aircraft flying overhead have dropped large glide bombs on the region.
“In 11 days, Russian bombers dropped eight bombs, eight bombs on the territory of Belgorod region. Can you imagine?” she says in the recording.
The woman’s comments reflect growing frustration among civilians who say they face danger not only from Ukrainian attacks but also from technical failures within Russia’s military.
Faulty strikes
The Daily Express notes that Russian pilots often launch glide bombs while flying over their own territory, attempting to keep out of range of Ukrainian air defence systems.
However, malfunctions have sent a significant number of these munitions off course, causing them to fall short and hit Russian soil.
Residential districts have suffered damage, with incidents leading to both fatalities and serious injuries.
In several cases, officials have acknowledged that mistakes triggered the blasts.
A document obtained by the Washington Post reportedly reveals that from April 2023 to April 2024, Russian aircraft accidentally dropped glide bombs on Belgorod nearly forty times.
The outlet said the figures came from what appeared to be internal emergency-service records.
Growing tally
Independent monitoring cited by the Daily Express shows similar trends.
The Astra Telegram channel calculated that since the start of 2025, Russia’s airforce has released at least 127 bombs on Russian territory and occupied areas of Ukraine. The channel put last year’s total even higher, at 165.
For residents near the border, these accidents have intensified a sense of vulnerability already heightened by Ukrainian attacks.
Their complaints now form part of a wider picture of operational failures that continue to raise questions about Moscow’s conduct of the war.
Sources: Daily Express, Washington Post, Astra Telegram channel
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
