Explosions rocked the village of Shchitovaya, near Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday morning, prompting a large security response and conflicting accounts of the cause.
Local authorities and media, including Vladivostok1.ru, reported the blasts and a notable presence of traffic police, FSB officers, and military personnel conducting vehicle checks. Emergency services,including rescue workers and ambulances,were dispatched to the area,and a military helicopter was observed circling the site,according to Novaya Gazeta.
Russia’s regional anti-terrorism committee attributed the explosions to “a series of pops related to the use of gas equipment” near administrative buildings and parking areas, stating no casualties were reported but some vehicles sustained minor damage.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR, claimed duty, asserting the blasts were a targeted attack on a Russian military installation in Vladivostok – over 4,000 miles from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian media, citing HUR sources, reported the operation was retaliation for alleged Russian war crimes.
According to Ukraine, the explosions struck the parking area of a military unit housing the 47th Separate Air Assault Battalion of Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade. Ukraine alleges this brigade was involved in fighting near kyiv, Vuhledar, Mariupol, Kursk, and Pokrovsk, and accuses it of “exceptional brutality” towards civilians and the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Ukrainian sources reported fatalities and injuries resulting from the attack, but did not provide specific numbers.
Claims from both Russian and Ukrainian sources remain unverified.
