The Russian military claimed to have shot down two Ukrainian missiles, on Friday (July 28), over the southwestern city of Taganrog near the border with Ukraine and a second one near the city of Azov. Over a dozen people were reported injured in Taganrog, said the regional governor, which Moscow claimed was after it intercepted a missile over the city.
Over a dozen injured in Taganrog
Addressing the incident, the Russian defence ministry said, it was the fragments of the Ukrainian missile that injured civilians and damaged buildings in the city of Taganrog.
“Russian air defence equipment detected the Ukrainian missile and intercepted it in the air. The debris of the downed Ukrainian missile fell on the territory of Taganrog,” claimed the Russian military.
It also alleged that the modified “Soviet-made S-200 missile” was aimed at the “residential infrastructure” of the city which is 40 kilometres from the border with Ukraine and home to around 250,000 people.
Rostov region governor Vasily Golubev reported that some 12 people suffered “light injuries” due to the blast which took place near the “Chekhov Garden” cafe in the centre of the city.
He had previously also said that the “rescuers are at the scene. There are no dead. There are several injured to whom ambulances have been dispatched.” Nine people have been taken to the hospital, said Golubev. One of the victims suffered a “traumatic brain injury,” and had surgery, he added.
The Russian official also said that the Taganrog Art Museum was the “epicentre of the explosion” which is a few hundred metres away from the cafe, and its roof and buildings were destroyed. Additionally, a nearby three-storey residential building was also damaged due to the explosion.
Images and videos from the site of the blast show rubble and a damaged building with multiple emergency service personnel present. Ukraine is yet to comment on the incident and respond to the allegations but it rarely addresses attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory.
Second Ukrainian missile near Azov
It was not long after the first alleged attack was reported by the Russian military that it claimed to have shot another Ukrainian missile over the southwestern part of the country, but this time the debris reportedly fell in a “deserted area.”
“Russian air defence systems intercepted a Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov in the Rostov region. Fragments of the downed Ukrainian missile fell in a deserted area,” said the defence ministry.
Another blast reported in Samara
In a separate incident, Member of parliament Alexander Khinshtein reported an explosion at a refinery owned by Rosneft in Russia’s Samara region which appeared to have been caused by a bomb.
“Fortunately there is no serious damage and no casualties,” said the Russian official on Telegram.
Russian state media had earlier reported that a person believed to have been responsible for the Samara blast has been arrested. RIA news agency, citing Rosneft, said the incident occurred at a non-operational old building and that no one was injured and no equipment was damaged.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
