"To bomb Voronezh" () is a Russian-language internet meme and political idiom, referring to self-destructive actions by the Russian regime that harm the population, akin to the English "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face".

Origin

Early iterations 
The earliest iterations of the meme came in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War, when Russian authorities allocated large amounts of money for destroyed cities of South Ossetia. An apocryphal anecdote states that a government official in Voronezh complained sarcastically around this time:

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, this story is probably a myth, since no records of the statement actually exist. The earliest references to the meme date back to August 2008, when a LiveJournal user referenced a similar joke supposedly made by "the residents of Voronezh", with no mention of a government official.

Another notable early mention was on 21 December 2011, when, in the context of the opening stages of the Syrian civil war, a Russian-language tweet satirically attributed a quote to Vladimir Putin that said:

Widespread popularity 
Starting in the mid-2010s, with the advent of Western sanctions on Russia and retaliatory Russian counter-sanctions, the meme had a change in meaning. In 2012, the Russian parliament passed the Dima Yakovlev Law, which prevented the adoption of Russian orphans by Americans. The main blow of the law fell on the Russian orphans themselves, many of whom suffered from serious illnesses. Similar exchanges of mutual sanctions occurred after Russia's annexation of Crimea, hurting ordinary Russian consumers. Thus, a common Russian joke on was that "in response to the sanctions, the president gave the order to bomb Voronezh".

A joke spread on Runet about a supposed conversation between two Russian government officials:

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine 

On 20 April 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Russian army accidentally bombed the Russian city of Belgorod, injuring three people. Anti-war Russians drew comparisons to the "bomb Voronezh" meme.

The meme was brought up again during the Wagner Group rebellion in June 2023, when government reportedly shelling against the Wagner rebels caused an oil depot in Voronezh Oblast to catch fire.

See also 

 Bavovna
 Hang noodles on the ears
 Russian political jokes
 Kick the cat
 Kuzma's mother
 China's final warning

Notes

References 

Internet memes introduced from Russia
Political Internet memes
2008 in Russian politics
Internet memes introduced in 2008
Voronezh
Russian words and phrases