In a dramatic moment, Ukraine helicopters have blasted an oil depot on Russian soil according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod regional governor. “The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an air strike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at a low altitude. There are no victims.” Gladkov said. He also stated that the military helicopters were flying at low altitude.
The governor said that two workers received non-life-threatening injuries.
Exact details of the incident have not yet been clarified.
Allegedly the two helicopters entered Belgorod region and carried out an air raid at an oil facility owned by Russian oil firm Rosneft on Friday morning causing a massive fire to erupt. The incident was reported in the middle of a military campaign in the neighbouring country being undertaken by Russia.
It has been said that a huge fireball erupted at the plant as the fight was taken across the border.
Moscow has made accusations that Ukraine slipped a pair of Mi-24 attack choppers across the border undetected before the incident occurred. Huge plumes of black smoke billowed up from the site and filled the air.
Several sources of footage have surfaced, showing the facility in the Freida industrial district of Belgorod City, just twenty-five miles (40.23km) from Ukraine border being blasted. Much of the footage was filmed by local residents. The footage showed what looked like several missiles fired at low altitude, followed by a large explosion, however the images were not verified. However the three main Russian news services RT, Ruptly and RIA Novosti, have all ran stories on the attack.
Ukraine did not immediately confirm the information. If confirmed, this would be the first air strike on Russian soil since the war broke out between the two countries on 24th February, and the first air strike on Russian soil since World War II!
Governor Gladkov said, “We are starting to resettle the residents of Pochtovaya, Makarenko and Konstantin Zaslonov streets to a safer location.”
RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned domestic news agency, said the emergency services had stated there was a risk of the fire spreading to additional oil storages, and that they found no increase of toxic fumes in the air.
Local emergency services said that eight fuel tanks occupying 2,000 cubic meters were on fire, and another eight were under threat from the blaze.
Some areas in the city were evacuated as firefighters from Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry were battling to stop the inferno. They have made a statement that 170 personnel were at the site trying to put the fire out.
This incident has occurred just two days after explosions at an arms storage building in Belgorod. Footage similar to that which has surfaced over this attack, emerged on Tuesday of the site believed to be an arms depot.
Last week, exiled Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev, 46, made allegations the Kremlin is plotting a wave of attacks upon its own cities in a false flag operation, purportedly led by the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) to ramp up the war and justify mobilising troops. Ponomarev claimed FSB is preparing to target its own chemical and weapons factories which could see civilian deaths.
Last night Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukrainian president) warned that Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge despite Russia’s failure to capture a major city.
“There will be battles ahead. We still need to go down a very difficult path to get everything we want,” he said. “The situation in the south and in the Donbas remains extremely difficult.”
British military intelligence stated today that Ukrainian forces have retaken the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka to the south of Chernihiv and located along the main supply routes between the city and Kyiv.
