By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 4 hours ago, updated 3 hours ago
Military equipment under the rubble of a temporary shelter for Russian soldiers in Makiivka January 10, 2023. ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/ Portal
At least seven people were killed last weekend in a munitions explosion caused by the accidental detonation of a shell in Russia’s Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday (17 January).
The bodies of four people who went missing after the incident have been discovered, an emergency services spokesman quoted by the agency said. “The number of victims has increased to seven people,” said the source.
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An “accidental” explosion
After the explosion, which occurred on Saturday, January 14, at premises for military personnel in the Belgorod region, rescuers, quoted by several Russian media, reported three dead and eight missing. According to Interfax, a sergeant “accidentally” detonated a grenade in a dormitory, causing the ammunition to explode and starting a fire.
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On Telegram, the Baza media, which is said to be close to the Russian security services, claimed that all the victims were soldiers who had been mobilized to go to Ukraine and fight there. In September, following a series of backlashes by the Russian military in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists. Soldiers’ relatives and Kremlin critics denounced a “chaotic” mobilization, saying soldiers were sent to the front lines without proper equipment and training.
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