Vladikavkaz shopping mall explosion
On the morning of 25 December, an explosion and fire occurred at the Alania Mall shopping centre in Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia (Russia), resulting in one fatality. According to the official version, the explosion was caused by the crash of a drone (UAV) allegedly launched from Ukraine or Georgia.
The explosion took place before the mall opened, when few people were inside. However, a mall employee, Ida Chavaeva, and two others sustained minor injuries.
Initially, it was suggested that the explosion was caused by a household gas leak. However, the chief engineer of the gas company, Batraz Kodzaev, refuted this claim, stating that the shopping centre was not connected to the gas network and that a theoretical gas cylinder explosion could not have caused such extensive destruction.
Later, the head of North Ossetia, Sergey Menyaylo, provided an update on the situation:
“The area is cordoned off. An investigative team is working on-site. The fire is being contained. There is heavy smoke. The premises are being inspected for fire sources and to locate any people who might still be inside.”
Subsequently, the emergency operations headquarters, led by Menyaylo, reported that debris from a downed drone caused the fire on the roof of Alania Mall.
“According to the Ministry of Defence, the explosion and fire at the Vladikavkaz shopping centre were caused by debris from a downed UAV. The drone, of the aircraft type, was shot down by air defence systems at 8:28 this morning.
Preliminary results of the investigation confirm this version. Surveillance footage from the shopping centre shows the explosion occurred from the outside,” the statement said.
It was explained that the drone was not visible due to weather conditions, but it was detected by the air defence radar system. The investigation is ongoing, and fragments of the UAV are being examined.
The Speaker of the North Ossetian Parliament, Taymuraz Tuskayev, claimed that the drone was launched from Ukraine.
However, according to Sergey Menyaylo, “the drone could have flown in from the direction of the mountains,” meaning possibly from Georgia or Georgian territory. No further clarifications on this matter have been provided by authorities so far.
Drone attacks were also reported in neighbouring regions of North Ossetia, including Chechnya and Ingushetia, on the same morning.