Officials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are investigating an incident in which paratroopers from the legendary Pskov Airborne Division accidentally shot at a shopping mall in the northwestern Russian city of Pskov on Thursday.
The incident with an accidental shot from a cannon in one of the Pskov military units occurred during the maintenance of the latest BMD-4 and weapons in the fleet of military vehicles, the Pskov garrison command reported.
“There was an involuntary shot from a 30mm cannon. A metal round with no explosives at the end of its trajectory fell on an uninhabited building on the outskirts of the city, ”officials said.
According to the military, no one was injured in the incident. They added that they are working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the accident.
The BMD-4 is an amphibious infantry combat vehicle (IFV) that is intended to transport Russian airborne troops and improve their mobility, armament and protection of the battlefield. It is equipped with the Bakhcha-U combat module, which was developed by a design office based in Tula. It consists of two 100mm and 30mm cannons and a 7.62mm machine gun.
This armored combat vehicle is one of the lightest and most heavily armed in its class and has considerable firepower compared to its counterparts.