Moscow: After an explosive device was discovered at the scene where a bomb accidentally dropped by a Russian warplane caused a powerful blast this week, authorities said seventeen apartment buildings in a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border were evacuated on Saturday.
Three people were hurt and a large crater was left by the bomb explosion that occurred late on Thursday in Belgorod. The explosion was caused by a weapon accidentally discharged by one of the Russian Defence Ministry's own Su-34 bombers, which was quickly acknowledged.
The ministry stated that an investigation was ongoing but provided no additional information regarding the weapon, which according to military experts was probably a potent 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) bomb.
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Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the province of Belgorod, reported on Saturday that sappers examining the scene of Thursday's explosion discovered and chose to detonate what he called a "explosive object" that was "in the immediate vicinity of residential buildings."
Mayor of Belgorod Valentin Demidov stated that the precautionary evacuations were discontinued later in the day. The residential area was cleared of the bomb. Returning residents to their homes is taking place, Demidov wrote on Telegram.
Russian authorities did not specify whether the detonated object was dropped accidentally on Thursday, and if so, whether it was a piece of the bomb that exploded in the city or something else entirely.
Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine last year, Belgorod, which is located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of the Russian-Ukrainian border, has experienced frequent drone attacks. Although the Ukrainian military resisted making a direct claim of responsibility, Russian authorities have blamed those strikes on it.
Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, reported late Saturday that five missiles fired from the Belgorod area had impacted the area, one of which had hit unidentified "civilian infrastructure" in Kharkiv, the region's capital.
Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has severely strained ties with the West, leading to frequent diplomat ejections on both sides. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday that the German government had "decided on another mass expulsion of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in Germany."
According to a ministry statement, Russia made the decision to "mirror" Germany's expulsions and "significantly limit" the number of employees at German diplomatic missions in Russia "in response to the hostile actions of Berlin."
Russian state media reported that more than 20 German diplomats are being expelled from Russia, but the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, did not provide an exact number.
The foreign ministry of Germany said it was aware of the remarks. According to the statement, a flight on Saturday was related to discussions between the German and Russian governments about "questions regarding the staffing of the respective diplomatic missions" that had taken place in recent weeks. It was very brief.
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The German air force previously reported that a Russian aircraft arrived in Berlin on Saturday with diplomatic clearance, but it did not say who or what was on board. Because the European Union restricted access to Russian aircraft shortly after the conflict in Ukraine began, special clearance is needed.
