Russian forces downed two Ukrainian missiles in the southern region of Rostov, the country’s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what would be a rare incident of rockets breaching its borders.
(Bloomberg) — Russian forces downed two Ukrainian missiles in the southern region of Rostov, the country’s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what would be a rare incident of rockets breaching its borders.
Both of the intercepted missiles were S-200s, originally meant for air defense but converted to be used for a strike, the ministry said. It blamed Ukraine for the attacks in statements on Telegram.
Strikes on targets Russia’s Rostov region have occurred before, including near refineries and at a military airfield, but they usually involved drones.
Russia said that one of the missiles on Friday was intercepted over the port city of Taganrog. Debris from the rocket fell on the city, resulting in several injuries and damaging buildings, according to the ministry. Nine people were hospitalized, Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram.
The second missile was intercepted at about 5:15 p.m. local time over Rostov’s Azov district, the ministry said. The city of Azov also has a port and grain terminals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax news service.
“The events in Taganrog are nothing more than completely illiterate actions of the operators of Russian air defense systems,” Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on Twitter.
Read more: Wheat Jumps After Russian Strike Boosts Black Sea Supply Fears
Rostov is one of Russia’s most important agricultural regions, and it uses ports on the Sea of Azov to export grain. The missiles follow a Russian bombing campaign against port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, which has increased concerns about Black Sea grain supplies.
Those strikes follow Russia’s withdrawal from a deal that allowed Ukraine to export some of its grain via the Black Sea.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.