Russia Appears to Have Struck Own Civilian Building with Iranian Drone

By Jesus Mesa

Russia may have inadvertently struck one of its own civilian buildings in Belgorod with an Iranian-supplied Shahed drone, according to reports and security footage shared on social media.

The attack injured two people and caused extensive damage, impacting 40 apartments across three buildings, 24 vehicles and a shop. The strike appeared to originate from the Russian side, directed toward the border with Ukraine.

Pepel, an independent Russian news outlet, analyzed video evidence showing a drone with distinctive features that closely matched the Shahed model typically deployed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

"Only this combat drone has a characteristic nose and triangular wings with blunt ends, which are clearly visible in the surveillance video," Pepel reported.

The drone's resemblance to Iranian-made Shahed models used by Russia against Ukraine led Pepel to suggest that a malfunction may have caused it to strike within Russian territory.

"The Shahed likely malfunctioned in target selection or had an incorrect flight mission. This could explain the air defense presence over the building. Russian forces may have detected the UAV was off course and attempted to shoot it down to prevent it from hitting a residential building in Belgorod," Pepel reported.

Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov initially blamed Ukrainian forces for the strike, but the footage raises doubts, showing the drone's path originating within Russia.

The Belgorod incident has drawn attention to Russia's heavy reliance on Iranian drones in its ongoing campaign.

The Moscow Times reported on Monday that these drones, commonly called "loitering munitions," are frequently deployed by Russia for strikes across the border into Ukraine, targeting both military and civilian areas.

However, technical failures or navigation errors may have caused one of these drones to hit a target within Russia's own borders.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has been increasing its own drone operations. Reuters reported on Sunday that Ukraine launched a significant drone attack on Moscow, causing diversions at three major airports. In total, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 84 drones over western Russia, though five people in Moscow's outskirts were reportedly injured from the attacks.

The use of drones has escalated risks for civilians on both sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently noted that Ukraine is now facing a much higher frequency of Shahed drone strikes compared to last year.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, told PBS NewsHour that Russia's increasing use of Shahed drones poses a growing challenge to Ukraine's air defenses, which have been strained by the continued bombardment.

The Belgorod region has regularly faced cross-border attacks since President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.