'Horrific' Unexploded 500kg Bomb Found in Residential Area of Ukraine

Ukraine's minister for foreign affairs shared a photo of a "horrific" unexploded 500-kilogram bomb, which he claims was meant to be dropped on a residential area.

Dmytro Kuleba posted the tweet on Sunday, showing the explosive on the floor amid rubble.

In his post, liked more than 30,000 times, he claimed the photo was taken in Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine, not far from the Russian border.

He said: "This horrific 500-kg Russian bomb fell on a residential building in Chernihiv and didn't explode.

"Many other did, killing innocent men, women and children. Help us protect our people from Russian barbarians! Help us close the sky.

"Provide us with combat aircraft. Do something!"

Parts of the city have been reduced to rubble following Russian airstrikes, with the death toll at 47, Reuters reported.

Regional authorities upped the figure from 33, following shelling in the residential district on Thursday, it said.

Photos and videos taken by those on the ground show streets covered in debris and rubble as buildings burned, while some were destroyed, or partially collapsed, after being bombed.

The photo of the bomb appears to have been originally shared on Telegram, by Vyacheslav Chaus, whose account is described as: "Official channel of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration."

Chaus' post, on Saturday, has been seen nearly 500,000 times, as he explains more about the bomb's supposed origin, claiming they're FAB-500 bombs.

Translated into English, his post said: "The Russian Federation is committing crimes against humanity—bombing residential areas of Chernihiv.

"Unable to overcome the resistance of Ukrainian troops, the Russian aggression army has been committing terrorist acts against the people of Ukraine in recent days.

"For three days in a row, it has been carrying out air strikes on residential areas of the city and social facilities.

"Russian troops are now using powerful indiscriminate weapons against Chernihiv —unmanned FAB-500 bombs.

"Such weapons are usually used against military-industrial facilities and fortifications. And in Chernihiv—against residential areas.

"Three such unexploded bombs were found today at the crash site of a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber shot down near Chernihiv by air defense fighters this morning."

Other photos on social media, including a post from UNIAN on Telegram, seen more than 300,000 times, and Reddit, appear to show different angles of the same bomb, as well as another referenced in the posts.

According to website Russian Defence Export, Roe.ru, the FAB-500 M-62 is classed as a "high explosive bomb," with the explosive TNT equivalent of 300.

It's designed to "destroy military industrial facilities, railway junctions, light armored and soft-skin targets, manpower, military field fortifications," the website explains.

The Ukraine State Emergency Service (SES) shared a post on Saturday claiming to show the remnants of an Su-34 craft, which they said was shot down over the city.

Translated into English, it says: "On March 5, at about 12:40 a.m., an enemy plane was shot down over Chernihiv, causing it to crash into the outskirts of the private sector.

"The information is being clarified. 2 people were rescued. 23 people and 4 units were involved from the SES. techniques."

Supposed footage of the crash, on The Washington Post, appeared to show two parachutes, believed to be the pilots ejecting from the plane.

The Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sharing a post from Operational Command "North," uploaded footage around 11 a.m. on Saturday, claiming to show one of the two pilots.

Alongside a video of an injured man, translated into English, the caption says: "One of the pilots of the Su-34 attacker has been captured. He was catapulted after a plane was hit by air force experts who were protecting Chernihiv from the occupant.

"Tried to escape but got caught. Not to save his life, but for the international tribunal for all the crimes that his country committed against Ukraine and its people. To all the women, children, men whose lives they took."

While another post, showing the same man, translated into English says: "These two will never drop another storm bomb on civilians again.

"Defenders of the Chernihiv sky are watching and trying their best to keep all of us intact and unharmed.

"Believe in your defenders! Each of them does their job selflessly and for the sake of you and Ukraine.

"P.S. One of the lʹotčikív was taken captive for the tribunalu in The Hague. With him all the evidence of their crimes against the Ukrainian people!!!

"To understand: they bombed Chernihiv with FA-500 air bombs, 500 is the weight of the bomb in pounds!!!! Half a ton of trotil to a peaceful city!"

It's not the first Su-34 Ukraine claims to have shot down, with a Facebook post from General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, citing Joint Forces Operation, on Thursday stating another craft was downed.

Translated into English, it said: "Minus one Just now, the air defense unit of the United Forces in the area of the settlement VOLNOVAKHA was shot down a Russian SU-34 fighter bomber.

"The pilots of this aircraft carried out barbaric bombing of civilians and infrastructure of the city."

According to Janes, the Russian Sukhoi Su-34, also known as "Fullback," was first spotted over the skies of Ukraine on February 28.

The site noted: "The Su-34 is a long-range strike aircraft, that was designed as a replacement for the Soviet-era Su-24 'Fencer' in Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) service. According to Janes World Air Forces, the VKS has at least 125 Su-34s currently in service..."

While Forbes cited the "beefy" aircrafts as being "faster, more capable in air-to-air combat, and can lug a heavier 13-ton payload on long-endurance missions."

Newsweek reached out to Kuleba for comment.