Footage appears to show low-flying Russian Su-34s dropping bombs on anti-Putin militias and missing the target, says report

A Russian Su-34 jet is seen swooping low and dropping bombs over a border checkpoint in the Belograd region of Russia in May 2023. Twitter

• Footage appears to show Russian Su-34 jets bombing a checkpoint within their own borders.
• The video shows two jets dropping high-level explosives from an "ultra-low altitude." 
• Anti-Putin Russian militias briefly occupied territory in Russia's Belgorod region earlier this week, 

Aerial footage appears to show Russian Su-34 Fullback jets dropping bombs from a low level within the Russian Federation on the border of Ukraine earlier this week, says a report

At the Grayvoron border checkpoint, the video shows two Russian jets dropping high-level explosives from an "ultra-low altitude." The video appears to show the jets missing the target, a building at Russia's own checkpoint.

According to reporting and analysis by The War Zone journalists Thomas Newdick and Tyler Rogoway, the footage demonstrates "the difficulties of delivering unguided weaponry" at low altitudes, as well as "desperate measures" by the Russian military to thwart a border incursion by Ukrainian-backed Russian militias. 

The reporters said the Russian jet appeared to be dropping 1,100-pound high-explosive freefall bombs known as the FAB-500ShN.

The War Zone is a section dedicated to reporting military affairs and is part of The Drive website.

The fourth-generation Sukhoi Su-34 bomber was unveiled in 2017. The Su-34, dubbed "Fullback" by NATO, is rated as one of Russia's most capable aircraft — able to engage targets on the ground and in the air — and saw extensive service in Syria, according to Insider's Daniel Brown.

—Clash Report (@clashreport) May 25, 2023

The footage, posted on social media, has not been independently verified by Insider.

Grayvoron is located in the Belgorod Oblast region within Russian borders, and the checkpoint is right on the border with Ukraine. 

Earlier this week, the Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), consisting of Russian citizens, claimed they took control of Russian territory in a cross-border raid, Insider previously reported. The Ukrainian-backed Russian militias announced the "liberation" of villages inside Russia.

The Kremlin called the incursion "sabotage," according to state-backed media.

The legion said it sent units to Grayvoron, and footage purportedly from the checkpoint appears to show armored vehicles taking over the post, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Last month, a Russian Su-34 accidentally dropped a bomb on its own city of Belgorod, Insider previously reported.