Russian sergeant accidentally detonates grenade near ammo storage, killing three and injuring 16

Three Russian soldiers were killed and sixteen injured when a sergeant accidentally detonated a grenade near an ammunition dump in Belgorod, Russia.

Russian news agencies reported on Sunday that the explosion occurred in a repurposed cultural centre near the Ukrainian border, which was being used to store ammunition and house Russian soldiers.

A source in the local emergency services said: ‘The preliminary cause of the explosion is careless handling of ammunition.

Pro-Russian troop with a rocket propelled grenade in Mariupol, Ukraine, in May 2022. High explosives have been a regular feature of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine since last year.

Abandoned munitions crates in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine in September 2022

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Emergency services told Interfax that a sergeant unintentionally detonated an RGD-5 anti-personnel grenade in the building’s sleeping quarters, next to the weapons storage room, causing an explosion and a fire that grew to 4,843 square feet (450 square metres).

Independent online news agency Baza claimed the sergeant picked up the grenade in order to gain authority in front of his subordinates. 

Fifteen people were forced to evacuate from nearby buildings in Tonenkoye village when the explosion led to fires, and eight soldiers remain missing as of Sunday evening. 

Other sources reported the officer was a ‘senior sergeant’ and platoon commander.

The 112 and Baza Telegram channels, linked to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, said the dead and injured were conscripts called up to fight in Ukraine under a mobilization drive.

Reports did not say exactly when the incident took place.

The Belgorod region borders the northeast of Ukraine, where the city of Kharkiv has been targeted by multiple Russian missile attacks since the invasion of Ukraine last February.

In October a gunman opened fire at one of the several military bases in the Belgorod region, killing 11 soldiers and injuring 15.

Fuel and ammunition stores there have also been rocked by explosions in what Moscow said were Ukrainian attacks. Kyiv, without claiming responsibility, has described them as ‘karma’ for Russia’s invasion. 

Telegram channel 112, a news channel following incidents within Russia, wrote that a criminal case had been opened following the event.