Russia said Friday that it intercepted two Ukrainian missiles over its southern Rostov area, bordering Ukraine and that debris falling on Taganrog injured at least a dozen people.
Since Moscow initiated its military assault in February last year, regions bordering Ukraine have experienced regular drone strikes and shelling, but have rarely been targeted by missiles.
“Russian air defence equipment detected and intercepted the Ukrainian missile in the air. The debris of the downed Ukrainian missiles landed on Taganrog territory”, Russia’s defence ministry stated in a statement.
The first S-200 missile, according to the government, was directed at residential infrastructure in Taganrog, a metropolis of roughly 250,000 people.
Shortly after, it claimed to have shot down a second S-200 missile near Azov, with the wreckage landing in an unpopulated area.
Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, claimed 15 people suffered light injuries from shards in an explosion outside the ‘Chekhov Garden’ cafe in Taganrog’s centre.
“Rescuers have arrived on the spot. There are no deceased people. Ambulances have been dispatched to several injured people”, Golubev wrote in a Telegram post.
In an update, he said that nine persons were hospitalised. One individual required surgery.
According to Golubev, the epicentre of the explosion occurred in the Taganrog Art Museum, just a few hundred metres from the cafe.
He said that a museum wall, roof, and outbuildings were demolished. The impact destroyed the window frames of a nearby three-story residential building.
Taganrog is situated on the coast of the Sea of Azov, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The city is also on a road that leads to Mariupol, the port city that was taken by Russian soldiers last year after a terrible siege.
Also read: Russia Foils A Ukrainian Drone Attack In Moscow Region
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