Russia on Friday accused Ukraine of attacking an oil deposit located on the outskirts of the Russian city of Belgorod, next to the Russian-Ukrainian border, which caused a large fire.
“The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike by two helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that entered Russian territory at low altitude. There are no casualties,” said Belgorod governor, Vyacheslav Gladkovquoted by Russian agencies.
(We recommend: Zelensky distrusts Russia’s de-escalation announcement).
It would be Ukraine’s first missile attack directly on Russian territory.
Emergency services indicated that the fire spread to eight fuel tanks, each with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters.
“There is a risk that the fire will continue to spread,” said a source quoted by the official Russian agency TASS, which specified that the territory of the oil deposit houses a total of 27 tanks, 14 of them affected by the fire.The Russian Emergency Situation Ministry reported that some 170 firefighters and fire trucks are involved in the work to put out the fire.
Велгороде горит нефтебаза
Экстренные службы выехали на место пожара, принимаются меры по его ликвидации, – сообщил в своём телеграм-канале губернатор региона Гладков pic.twitter.com/Pmg1zOiXXs
— 🇺🇦 Dmitry Akhatov (@dmitryakhatov) April 1, 2022
Belgorod is located about 30 kilometers from the border with Ukraine and about 70 kilometers from Kharkov, the most important city in eastern Ukraine, besieged in the course of the “special military operation” launched by Russia on February 24 last.
(Read on: Biden Releases Record Amount of Oil to Stem Price Rise.)
Russia regroups forces to attack south
This is part of their tactics
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky warned that Russia is consolidating its positions and preparing to launch “powerful attacks” on the south of the country.including the besieged port of Mariupol, where a new attempt to evacuate civilians is being prepared this Friday.
For its part, Moscow is reinforcing its pressure at the international level and has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Europe if payments are not made in rubles, a sensitive thread in the war that US President Joe Biden sought to placate with the announcement of a record release of its strategic crude reserves.
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Russia’s announcement of a de-escalation of attacks in the capital kyiv and the northern city of Chernigov has been met with skepticism by Ukraine and its Western allies, who simply see a repositioning of troops.
(Also: WTI Oil Price Falls More Than 5%; US Considers Releasing Reserves.)
“This is part of their tactics,” Zelensky said in a message broadcast Thursday night. “We know that they are leaving areas where we are beating them to focus on others that are very important … and where it can be difficult for us,” he said.
Specifically, he warned that the situation was “very difficult” in the south. “In Donbas and in Mariupol, in the direction of Kharkiv, the Russian army is building up the potential for attacks, for powerful attacks.”
EFE and AFP
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