Multiple casualties in Russian blast
An explosion at a Russian military hospital has resulted in multiple casualties, and around 20 deaths, according to Interfax news agency.
It is believed that a lorry exploded in the hospital grounds, and resulted in severe damage, according to some reports even destroying the building.
Rescue efforts are continuing as people are reported to be still trapped under the rubble.
The hospital is located only around 10 kilometers from the border with Chechnya, so initial suspicions are of a possible separatist attack, though there has been no official statement to confirm or deny this.
Russia and Chechnyan separatists have been involved in an intermittent conflict since 1994 when Moscow troops crushed a bid for independence. The current hostilities have been ongoing since 1999, when President Putin dispatched the army in to ‘resolve’ the situation.
Putin claims that the conflict is part of the ‘war on terrorism’ and that Chechnya had become a haven for extremist groups and terrorists. Human rights groups though have repeatedly expressed their concerns at the situation, and the alledged brutality of the Russian soldiers.
