Russia today accused Ukrainian forces of an air attack on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, while Kiev neither confirmed nor rejected the claim of involvement of the Ukrainian army.
On the day when the talks between the two sides continued via video link, the governor of the Russian Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that two people were injured in an air attack on Russian soil, carried out with the help of two helicopters. He stated that the attack caused fires, and it was reported that nearby companies were affected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “this is certainly not something that can be seen as creating pleasant conditions for the continuation of negotiations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said he could neither confirm nor deny the claim that Ukraine was involved “in the attack,” because it does not have all the military information.
Russia has previously reported cross-border shelling from Ukraine, but not an incursion into its airspace. The oil depot in Belogorod, managed by the Russian giant Rosneft, is about 35 kilometers away from the border with Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine five weeks ago, thousands of people have died and more than four million have fled the country.