Viyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Russian city of Belgorod, announced on Friday that Ukrainian army helicopters attacked an oil refinery in the area.
In a written statement, Gladkov reported that the attack caused a fire at the oil refinery, but that there were no deaths or injuries.
Gladkov stated that the Ukrainian helicopters entered Russian territory at low altitude and that the attacks they launched caused explosions at the refinery.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry reported that civilians living near the refinery, some 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, have been evacuated and that firefighting operations are continuing.
For his part, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Colonel Olexander Motuzyanik, did not confirm the involvement of his helicopters in the attack on the refinery.
During a press conference, Motuzyanik noted that “Ukraine is conducting a defensive operation to repel the Russian attack”, but explained that “this does not mean that Ukraine is responsible for all disasters and events occurring on the territory of the Russian Federation occur”.
Motuzyanik reminded that “it is not the first time” that they are faced with such allegations and that therefore “this information cannot be confirmed”. “I’m not denying it either,” he concluded.
*Translated by Daniel Gallego.
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