MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. Ukraine carried out a strike on a residential area in the Russian city of Taganrog using an S-200 missile converted to a strike missile. The missile was intercepted but its fragments fell on the city, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to updated data from the Russian Health Ministry’s Federal Center for Disaster Medicine, 14 people suffered injuries. Later, news came about a second attempted missile strike near the city of Azov, part of the Rostov Region, which involved another S-200 air-defense missile converted into an attack missile. TASS has gathered the key takeaways about the Taganrog incident.
What happened
- On Friday afternoon, Ukraine carried out a strike with an S-200 missile converted to an attack missile, which targeted a residential area in Taganrog. The missile was intercepted but its fragments fell on the city, causing an explosion.
- The epicenter of the blast was at the site of the Taganrog Museum of Art. The blast did not cause a fire.
- The explosion made a crater more than a meter deep.
Casualties
- The incident left 14 people injured; 9 of them were taken to the hospital.
- No one was killed.
- According to preliminary data from emergency services, there are no people trapped under the rubble.
Damage
- The terrorist attack damaged several buildings, including the Chekhov Garden cafe.
- A wall and the roof of the Taganrog Museum of Art were destroyed, while the museum’s garages and outbuildings were damaged.
- Window and balcony frames were smashed in a nearby three-story residential building.
Authorities’ response
- Sixty rescue workers with 17 pieces of equipment are working at the scene of the incident in Taganrog.
- Investigators and forensic experts from the regional branch of the Russian Investigative Committee are on their way to the site.
- Several streets in the downtown area are closed to traffic.
Second attack
- The Russian Defense Ministry said later that the Ukrainian armed forces had made another attempt to carry out an attack, using an S-200 air defense missile converted to a strike version.
- Russian air defenses intercepted the missile near the city of Azov in the Rostov Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that missile fragments "fell in an uninhabited area."
- Head of the Azov District Administration Alexander Palatny told TASS that the missile had been intercepted by air defenses far from populated areas and its fragments did not cause casualties or damage.