On Monday, 8 June 2026, a series of powerful explosions took place in and around the Russian city of Belgorod. A huge, thick column of black smoke rose over the city and the Belgorod district, which local residents captured in numerous photos and videos. The footage is being actively shared online.
According to eyewitnesses, the blast wave was so strong that in many parts of the city, windows shattered and walls trembled.
Versions of the event: CAB or an attack on the bookmaker's warehouse?
Immediately after the first explosions, Russian social media and publics began to spread the version that a Russian guided aerial bomb (CAB or FAB) had fallen and exploded on the city again «abnormally», which the occupiers' plane had accidentally dropped while flying towards Ukraine. This version was fuelled by the fact that the air raid warning had not been activated in the city before the explosion.
However, the situation was later clarified thanks to satellite images and reports from independent researchers (in particular, the analytical resource «Ashes»). It became known that the epicentre of the incident was located in the eastern part of the city - near the village of Belovskoye Belgorod District.
The explosion took place on a large ammunition depot of the Russian military. The footage from the objective control clearly shows at least four separate centres of ignition and a powerful secondary detonation shells. According to preliminary data from monitoring channels, the Russians could have stored significant stocks of heavy weapons at these positions, including S-300 missiles or tactical missile systems.
Note: The official authorities of the Russian Federation and the Belgorod region have traditionally refrained from commenting in detail on the exact reasons for the destruction of the military facility and the extent of casualties among the personnel.
Consequences of explosions
Due to the continuous secondary detonation, Russian emergency services were unable to approach the fire's epicentre for a long time. Local authorities blocked key streets leading to the incident area (including Makarenko and Konstantin Zaslonov streets). The blast wave reportedly damaged more than 20 private houses and 3 apartment buildings, and several civilians were injured.
