The spokesman, who declined to be named, would only confirm that the incident had taken place. "I cannot say anything until the commission has completed its work," he said.
Nikolai Popov was working in his vegetable garden Friday afternoon with his 10-year-old brother when a loud boom made him throw himself and his brother to the ground, a local journalist reported in Izvestia.
The rocket exploded just 30 meters away. Popov was injured by shrapnel and suffered burns, according to Alexander Buneyev, a spokesman for the regional administration in Voronezh. He added that Popov was still being treated in the hospital and that his condition was serious although he was not in danger. The brother was unharmed.
The explosion gouged out a crater 5 meters in diameter and 2 meters depth, shattering the windows of 20 homes and damaging doors and frames of nearby greenhouses, Izvestia said.
The village, far from being in an isolated spot, lies on the outskirts of Voronezh, a city of 1 million inhabitants. It is also just over four kilometers from the Novovoronezhskaya nuclear power station. The director of the station told Izvestia the plant was constructed so that only one block would have been damaged by an explosion of such size.
With only a two-degree course change the missile would have hit the power station, specialists estimated.
The missile was fired from an SU-25 jet from the Buturlinovsky Air Regiment while at its nearby test range, Buneyev said. Air force Colonel General Mikhail Soroka said the air-to-surface rocket in question was designed to be fired on soft targets, doing most damage from flying shrapnel.
During a training session the missile went out of control four seconds after firing and fell 10 kilometers beyond the boundary of the test range, he said.
There was no warning for the shocked villagers on the receiving end. Soon after the explosion, when a helicopter from the local air base arrived bearing a lieutenant general of the 16th Army, the locals thought a war had started, Izvestia said.
The air force has already calculated the damage at 70 million rubles (about $15,000), the paper said.
Regional Governor Alexander Kovalyov had protested strongly about the incident according to Buneyev. "He is demanding the base be moved," he said. Speaking to Ostankino state television over the weekend, Kovalyov said: "We have repeatedly asked that the missile testing range be moved, but the answer was always negative.
"Maybe this accident will somehow prompt them to move the range to a more secure place," he added.
Sources in the air force pointed out that the base was there long before the nuclear power station was built and had never seemed to worry anyone, Izvestia reported.
Meanwhile, the commander of the 16th Army promised the villagers and the local authorities that test flights would be suspended until the future of the base could be resolved, Izvestia said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.