Free Republic

As many as 15 people have been injured in two explosions that damaged a residential building and left a crater in a central square in the Russian city of Taganrog on Friday. Windows shattered, and the building was nearly reduced to rubble. A column of smoke now rises over the city, which is near the Ukrainian border. Claims of people trapped under the debris have been circulating, but that is yet unconfirmed. Disturbing videos show passersby running around in a panic, trying to find loved ones or avoid more falling debris.

Residents of several cities in the Rostov region reported a powerful explosion. Citing eyewitnesses, local publication 161.ru noted that the distance between some of the witnesses was nearly 125 miles. The sound of the explosion was heard by 161.ru readers in Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Taganrog, Novoshakhtinsk, Shakhty, Novocherkassk, Aksay, and Yeysk. According to eyewitnesses, "fences trembled in some places" after the explosion and car alarms went off in Rostov-on-Don. Near the village of Peshkovo (about 30 miles from Rostov-on-Don), witnesses noticed three or four sources of black smoke. Baza, citing eyewitness accounts, videos and photos on social media, reported that an...