Ukrainian helicopters have struck a fuel storage facility in Russia's western town of Belgorod, the local governor said Friday.
"There was a fire at the petrol depot because of an air strike carried out by two Ukrainian army helicopters, who entered Russian territory at a low altitude," Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel. "There are no casualties”
Two employees at the storage facilities were injured as a result of the fire, he said in another post. Some 170 personnel were trying to put out the blaze, according to Russia's emergencies ministry.
Rosneft, which owns the facility, told Russian news agencies that it had evacuated staff from the premises.
Belgorod lies some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Russia's border with Ukraine and some 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been pummelled by Russian forces since Moscow launched its war on Feb. 24. All law enforcement agencies in the Kursk region have been put on high alert due to the events in Belgorod, according to media reports.
Moscow warned that the helicopter attack on a fuel depot in the town of Belgorod would hamper negotiations that started on Friday via video.
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 Defense 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.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed about the incident. Peskov said the strike could jeopardize Moscow's peace negotiations with Kyiv.
"Of course this cannot be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for continuing the talks," Peskov said, adding that everything was being done to prevent disruptions in fuel supplies in the city.
In separate comments, Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said the incident would not affect the region's fuel supplies or prices for consumers.
