On June 20, video footage surfaced purportedly showing the Russian military using a FAB-3000 high-explosive aerial bomb in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. This footage allegedly captures the first combat employment of Russia’s 6,600-pound glide bomb, which has the potential to cause substantial destruction. According to Russian sources, the bomb was deployed against Ukrainian military positions in the village of Liptsy.
🇷🇺💣 Russia has used three-ton guided aerial bombs for the second time.
📍 The location of the FAB-3000 drop has not been specified. #Russia #Military #FAB3000 pic.twitter.com/q95HqLcmbs
— Ukraine Lives Matter (@ULM_Info) June 21, 2024
The FAB-3000 bomb is a modified Soviet-era munition, enhanced with fixed wings and GPS navigation systems to extend its range beyond Ukrainian anti-air defenses. This bomb contains nearly 1.5 tonnes of explosives, making it significantly more destructive than its predecessors, the FAB-500 and FAB-1500. Analysts warn that this new capability poses a tremendous problem for Kyiv due to its enhanced destructive power and extended reach.
The June 20 video, shared by a pro-Kremlin blogger with alleged ties to the Russian Air Force, depicts a Russian bomber dropping the FAB-3000 on a Ukrainian temporary deployment point. Despite missing the target by a few meters, the bomb’s extensive blast radius still caused significant damage, engulfing three floors of a building in a massive fireball.
In a separate incident, a Russian-guided bomb killed two people and wounded three in the town of Selydove, Donetsk region. The attack damaged multiple residential buildings. The Donetsk regional prosecutors reported the use of a UMPB D-30 bomb in this attack.
Russian forces have intensified their use of guided and unguided glide bombs in recent months, particularly in Kharkiv Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War has noted that the use of the FAB-3000 bomb significantly increases the destructive potential of Russia’s ongoing attacks against Ukrainian forces and infrastructure.
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