A 20-second video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Monday shows a massive explosion and a clearly visible blast wave, followed by black smoke clouds rising over the city of Orikhiv on the front line, reports TVP World.
The video features a pilot boasting: “It’s hard to imagine a target that such a large air bomb wouldn’t destroy.”
Ukrainian media reported that the FAB-3000 glide bomb with about 1,400 kg of explosive hit a residential area, although Russia claims it struck military positions.
Before the war began, the city of Orikhiv in southern Zaporizhzhia region had just under 14,000 residents.
New, old weapon
This latest use is not the first deployment of this weapon in the Ukraine war. Russia began dropping FAB-3000 as unguided bombs back in April 2022, with the first used during the infamous siege of the Azovstal steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol.
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In February 2024, Russia resumed mass production of this Soviet bomb, reports TVP World.
Since then, this weapon, which had not been used since the 1980s war in Afghanistan, has been modified by adding directional fins to become a guided glide munition.
The FAB-3000 has also been adapted for use on the Su-34 tactical bomber – reportedly the type of aircraft that carried out the strike seen in the video.
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