Kharkiv has once again come under heavy Russian aerial bombardment — this time involving a new guided bomb, the UMPB-5. According to local prosecutors, Russian forces have been using this munition for about two months now and appear to be testing it on Ukrainian cities.
“The UMPB-5 is a new type of glide bomb that the Russians began using around two months ago. Its first recorded use in Ukraine was in Sumy region, and in Kharkiv — on July 24,” Spartak Borysenko, head of the war crimes division at the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, told Ukrinform.
Preliminary assessments suggest the new bomb can be launched from up to 100 kilometers away — a longer range than the older UMPB D-30, which had a launch range of approximately 80 kilometers. The UMPB-5’s warhead is also significantly more powerful, estimated at 250 kilograms of explosives compared to 100 kilograms in the D-30. The bomb’s casing is made of a different, thicker metal, with fragments causing more extensive damage.
Russian aircraft deployed the new bomb on Kharkiv on two consecutive days — July 24 and 25. On July 24, two guided bombs struck the Shevchenkivskyi district, setting off fires at warehouse facilities and destroying vehicles. Twenty apartment buildings and a power substation were also damaged. A total of 43 people were injured.
The following day, July 25, Su-34 jets struck again, this time targeting the Industrialnyi district. One of the bombs hit Tuberculosis Hospital No. 3, where patients and staff were present. Seventeen people were injured in the attack.
All launches were carried out from Russia’s Belgorod region, just across the border.
While it appears Russian forces are still fine-tuning this new weapon, its deployment already poses a serious threat to frontline cities. For Ukraine, the UMPB-5 means more destruction, more civilian injuries, and more hospitals turned to rubble.