News Desk :
Russia has claimed Ukraine sent attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what if confirmed would be the first raid on Russian soil since it launched its invasion.
Ukraine has not confirmed that it launched the attack, raising questions about whether Russian negligence may be to blame, reports The Guardian.
A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border.
The Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych said: “We are holding defensive military operations on our own territory … Everything that happens on Russian territory is the responsibility of the Russian leadership. All questions to them.” reports The Guardian
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny reports of Ukrainian involvement in the strike as he did not have military information, Reuters reported. The Ukrainian defence ministry has not responded for a request for comment.
A number of prominent Ukrainian commentators have claimed that the attack could be a “false flag” meant to justify a Russian mobilisation or scuttle negotiations.
On Friday, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov fuelled those rumours by saying the attack could hamper negotiations, although he stopped short of announcing any concrete response over the alleged attack.
“What has happened is certainly not something that can be perceived as creating conditions comfortable for the continuation of negotiations,” Peskov said.
Video posted to social media on Friday appeared to show a helicopter strike using air-to-ground missiles and then a major fire at a facility said to be in Belgorod, with flames reaching dozens of metres into the air.
Reports showed that the facility continued to burn until midday on Friday, with dozens of firefighters dispatched to battle the inferno.
Other videos showed the helicopters, which are used by both Ukraine and Russia, flying in the region. None of these videos have been verified, however.
“The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at low altitude,” said the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. “There are no victims.”
There have been other incidents in Belgorod, which has served as a major hub for Russian military units involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
There was an explosion earlier on Thursday at the site of an arms depot there, raising speculation that saboteurs were targeting the city.
The Russian news agency Tass reported that four service personnel were injured because of that explosion.
The explosions in the Russian rear came after Russia announced it was winding down its offensive toward Kyiv after its troops met heavy resistance in the month-long war. Western officials have warned that Russia may be repositioning its troops for a larger attack on Ukraine’s east.
Russia has claimed Ukraine sent attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what if confirmed would be the first raid on Russian soil since it launched its invasion.
Ukraine has not confirmed that it launched the attack, raising questions about whether Russian negligence may be to blame, reports The Guardian.
A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border.
The Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych said: “We are holding defensive military operations on our own territory … Everything that happens on Russian territory is the responsibility of the Russian leadership. All questions to them.” reports The Guardian
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny reports of Ukrainian involvement in the strike as he did not have military information, Reuters reported. The Ukrainian defence ministry has not responded for a request for comment.
A number of prominent Ukrainian commentators have claimed that the attack could be a “false flag” meant to justify a Russian mobilisation or scuttle negotiations.
On Friday, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov fuelled those rumours by saying the attack could hamper negotiations, although he stopped short of announcing any concrete response over the alleged attack.
“What has happened is certainly not something that can be perceived as creating conditions comfortable for the continuation of negotiations,” Peskov said.
Video posted to social media on Friday appeared to show a helicopter strike using air-to-ground missiles and then a major fire at a facility said to be in Belgorod, with flames reaching dozens of metres into the air.
Reports showed that the facility continued to burn until midday on Friday, with dozens of firefighters dispatched to battle the inferno.
Other videos showed the helicopters, which are used by both Ukraine and Russia, flying in the region. None of these videos have been verified, however.
“The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at low altitude,” said the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. “There are no victims.”
There have been other incidents in Belgorod, which has served as a major hub for Russian military units involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
There was an explosion earlier on Thursday at the site of an arms depot there, raising speculation that saboteurs were targeting the city.
The Russian news agency Tass reported that four service personnel were injured because of that explosion.
The explosions in the Russian rear came after Russia announced it was winding down its offensive toward Kyiv after its troops met heavy resistance in the month-long war. Western officials have warned that Russia may be repositioning its troops for a larger attack on Ukraine’s east.
