Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out an air strike against a fuel depot in the city of Belgorod on Friday; an incident the Kremlin said set an unfavorable tone for peace talks with Kyiv.
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.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the general staff did not respond to requests for comment.
Video footage of the purported attack, the first accusation of a Ukrainian air strike on Russian soil since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 — showed what looked like several missiles being fired from low altitude, followed by an explosion. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on messaging app Telegram that two Ukrainian helicopters struck the facility in Belgorod, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the border with Ukraine, after entering Russia at low altitude.
