Three people injured after rocket from passing rotorcraft explodes near group of men during Zapad war games in Luzhsky

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A Russian attack helicopter accidentally fired at least one rocket into a group of people during large-scale military exercises close to Nato’s borders, Russian media has reported.

Three people were injured in the incident at the Zapad 2017 drills, a source close to the Russian Ministry of Defence told RBC news agency. “They weren’t civilians,” the source said.

RBC also posted a video of what appeared to show a rocket from a passing Ка-52 “Alligator” combat helicopter explode close to a group of men dressed in camouflage fatigues. The footage shows at least one person knocked to the ground by the force of the impact.

Fontanka, an independent news site, also posted video footage of the incident, which it said took place on Monday – the day the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, attended the Zapad drills. It said three rockets were fired by the helicopter.

Unconfirmed reports said the incident took place at the Luzhsky firing range near St Petersburg. The defence ministry initially denied the reports, but was later said to have admitted the unplanned launch of a rocket by a combat helicopter at a military drill.

“As a result of a strike by an unguided rocket, a cargo vehicle with no people on board was damaged,” Interfax cited a military official as saying.

The Ministry of Defence did not clarify whether the accident had taken place during the Zapad drills. It said reports of injuries were “either a deliberate provocation or someone’s individual stupidity”.

A video posted by the Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent Moscow-based group that monitors Russia’s military, showed what it said was the aftermath of the blast, including damaged military trucks. It said the registration number of one of the vehicles in the video indicated it belonged to the Federal Guard Service, which provides security for the Kremlin.

The Zapad 2017 military exercises are taking place in Russia and Belarus and simulate a Nato-backed separatist revolt in northern Belarus. The seven-day drills are due to end on Thursday.