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The Ukrainian military has begun to move combat to Russian territory, a new development in what has been primarily a defensive war for the country.
According to reports from several Russian media outlets, Russian authorities were forced to place two villages under emergency conditions and evacuate some citizens due to Ukrainian shelling in the area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP)
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RIA Novosti, a Russian government-controlled publication, reported on Tuesday that four people were injured in an explosion near the village of Zhuravlyovka. The outlet reported that the source of the blast was an attack originating in Ukraine.
Interfax, another pro-Kremlin publication, reported that Zhuravlyovka and the nearby town of Niekhoteyevka were placed under emergency orders and about 180 people were evacuated to the town of Belgorod as a result of an explosion at an ammunition depot.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine (Press Office of the President of Ukraine via AP)
Interfax did not blame Ukraine for the blast, but noted that authorities believe it was not an accident.
Fox News cannot independently verify the reported attack, although reports of the attack, an apparent setback for Russia, and Ukraine’s involvement have come from Russian state media.
The reports come as the Russian military has begun redeploying some forces that have been encircling the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, although Pentagon press secretary John Kirby warned on Tuesday that the moves represent a repositioning rather than a withdrawal by Russian forces be.
Kirby said that the Russian military failed to capture Kyiv and most of Ukraine’s population centers, which he says has been a Russian military target since the invasion began.
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The reported Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil also come amid peace talks currently taking place in Turkey, with Russia claiming it is pledged to ease attacks as Ukraine pushed for a war accord, swapping military neutrality for full membership would involve the European Union.
Debris and rubble in front of a damaged shopping center in Podilskyi district of Kyiv (Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
However, some experts remain skeptical about the peace negotiations. Author and former DIA intelligence officer Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Ukraine’s demands for Russia are likely a non-starter.
“Unfortunately, these negotiations are yet another tactic used by Putin to buy time to regroup and create confusion among European and US leaders, and most importantly our intelligence agencies,” Koffler said.