Rostov governor reports missile explosion in center of Taganrog

An explosion rocked the city of Taganrog in Russia’s Rostov region on Friday, local media reported, citing witnesses.

Photos and videos from the city show a column of smoke rising into the air. According to the news outlet 161.ru, windows in multiple nearby buildings were shattered by the blast.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev wrote on Telegram that the explosion occurred near a local cafe and was “presumably” caused by a missile. He said that nobody was killed but that some people were injured.

The Telegram channels 112 and Baza wrote that the explosion left a crater in the ground.

The Russian state media outlet TASS initially reported that the blast occurred “in a cafe” and that six people were injured. It later updated the number to 15, citing Golubev.

The Russian Defense Ministry blamed the explosion on a “terrorist attack” carried out by the “Kyiv regime.” In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said that Ukraine used a “converted” anti-aircraft missile complex to launch a strike on Russia, and that a Russian air defense system intercepted the weapon in the air, causing it to fall on Taganrog.