Russian Mall Explosion Caused by Drone: Official

A fixed-wing robotic aircraft was shot down by Russian air defenses over the capital of North Ossetia, the head of the southern Russian republic, Sergey Menyailo, said on his Telegram account. He added that CCTV cameras show an explosion outside of Alania Mall, RT reported.

Earlier in the day, the Russian military reported destroying 59 Ukrainian drones in Kiev’s latest barrage against Russia. Twenty-six were shot down over Bryansk Region, which borders Ukraine. The report did not mention North Ossetia or any other Russian part in the Caucasus. The ministry has yet to comment on Menyailo’s statement.

Menyailo previously confirmed the death of one woman following the mall blast and said that another person injured at the mall was taken to a hospital. That person’s injuries are not life-threatening, the official said.

The explosion started a fire at the upper central part of the building. Local firefighters managed to extinguish it after roughly an hour.

Vladikavkaz is located about 850km from Kiev-controlled territory. Ukrainian forces regularly launch long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia, which officials in Moscow describe as desperate attempts to compensate for defeats on the front line.