Russia blames Ukraine for oil depot blaze

AN oil storage depot has been set on fire in a Russian city north of the Ukrainian border. The local governor said Ukrainian helicopters attacked the facility, but this has not been officially confirmed or denied.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that no one has been hurt in the oil depot blaze in the city of Belgorod, 40 km north of the border with Ukraine. Rosneft, which runs the facility, said all staff have been evacuated. It said eight fuel storage tanks were set on fire and around 200 firefighters were working to control the blaze.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted on Telegram that two Ukrainian helicopters had attacked the facility. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he could neither confirm nor deny that the military has carried out the attack, Reuters reports. The news agency published a video from the Russian Ministry of Emergencies showing firefighters using foam to control the fire but said it could not immediately verify the footage.

If the fire resulted from an attack by the Ukrainian military, it would be its first attack on Russian territory since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.