Belgorod tragedy: Missiles or misfire? The debate over a building's collapse
In the Russian city of Belgorod, a section of a ten-story building collapsed following an explosion, leading to 2 deaths and 20 injuries. The governor of the Belgorod region has blamed Ukraine for the attack, but experts from the Ukrainian service Defense Express suggest that the Russian side might have caused the incident.
Russian channels on Telegram, quoting emergency services, have reported on the disaster. Photos shared on social media show that one staircase in the apartment block has been completely destroyed, while the others appear undamaged.
The Russian accounts of the event contradict each other. The governor of the Belgorod region has claimed that a direct missile hit caused the collapse. On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense asserts that the building was not hit by a missile but by debris from a missile shot down by Ukrainian air defence forces Toczka-U.
Ukrainian experts question the Russian narrative
Defense Express service experts have investigated the incident. Their findings indicate that although most Russian sources report damage on the southwest side of the building, there is actually more extensive damage on the northeast side.
The damage on this other side might imply that the missile that hit the building originated from within Russia.
The Toczka-U system is shared by both sides
It's crucial to note that both Ukraine and Russia use the Toczka-U system. This weapon has been employed multiple times during the current conflict in Ukraine.
This represents a significant update of the Toczka system – a Soviet tactical earth-to-earth missile system with short-range ballistic missiles. The launcher, a TEL class, was mounted on a wheeled chassis.
Thanks to upgrades, the firing range has increased by up to 70% (to approximately 121 km), and the accuracy of the missile projectiles has improved by about 60%. The system can deploy fragmentation, cluster, and even nuclear warheads.
