Russia said it shot down a Ukrainian missile over the southern Russian city of Taganrog and that fragments from the blast injured several civilians.
It’s believed to be the first time that Taganrog – some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border with Ukraine — has been hit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defense system converted into a strike version on the residential infrastructure of the city of Taganrog, Rostov Region,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
Regional Gov. Vasily Golubev also said on Friday in a Telegram post that there was a rocket explosion in the middle of the city.
“There are several victims, ambulances are handling the victims. Four people were slightly injured by broken glass. Information about the damage is being specified,” he said. There have been no deaths, he said.
The Russian Ministry of Health later said 14 people had been injured.
Russian air defense systems intercepted the missile, fragments of which fell on the city and damaged buildings, the defense ministry said.
Another missile was also downed Friday elsewhere in Rostov, the ministry added.
The defense ministry also claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Moscow region overnight Friday, but said that its air defenses thwarted the attack, which did not cause any damage or casualties.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow reserves the right to take “tough retaliatory measures” in response to the missile attacks against Taganrog and the attempted drone attack.
“We strongly condemn the criminal actions of the Kiev regime directed against the civilian population and peaceful infrastructure. They obviously had no military meaning. We call on the international community and organizations to condemn the use of terrorist methods by the Ukrainian authorities,” Zakharova said in a statement published on the Foreign Ministry website.
Another explosion was reported Friday much further east in Russia, after an explosive device detonated at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara on Friday, State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein said on his Telegram channel.
There were no victims or severe damage reported at the site, Khinshtein said.
“An explosion occurred on the territory of the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara today. According to the preliminary version, an explosive device was planted,” he said.
