The story goes on under the ad Despite this apparent trolling, many military and intelligence analysts said it was a Ukrainian attack carried out by two low-flying Mi-24 helicopters. fired rockets at the fuel dump, causing a huge explosion. and then were spotted departing, still flying at a very low altitude. No casualties were reported. If the attack is confirmed, it would signal a bold and dangerous move by Ukraine, with its forces shifting from a largely defensive stance to a direct air strike on Russia at a time when the Russian military appears weakened. Video footage of the attack quickly surfaced on Russian social media, with local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov immediately blaming Ukraine for the attack. The story goes on under the ad Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the attack took place at around 5am. He said the fuel depot, near the border with Ukraine, was an urban fuel facility not used for military vehicles involved in the war. “Ukrainian helicopters carried out a missile attack on an oil storage terminal on the outskirts of Belgorod,” he said in a statement. “Some tanks were damaged and set on fire after being hit by rockets. “I would like to emphasize that this facility is used to supply fuel only to civilian transport vehicles. “The oil terminal has nothing to do with the Russian armed forces,” he said. The incident, which happened as Russian troops were withdrawing from many parts of Ukraine, is deeply embarrassing for Russian forces after their poor performance in the war. The Russian military campaign was expected to last for days, but it has lasted, with huge losses of troops and equipment. Russian military officials have often claimed that the Ukrainian air force was almost destroyed. The story goes on under the ad Although acknowledging an attack, Peshkov argued that Russia’s control of its own airspace was unquestionable. “Air superiority in business is an absolute fact, it really is. “As for what happened, it is up to the law enforcement services, not us, to make assessments.” Russian state television presenter Vladimir Solovyov appeared furious about the attack. “Who is responsible for the air defense in the direction of Belgorod?” demanded on his Telegram channel. “Have the positions of the strike helicopters been destroyed? “When will the Belgorod area be created?” The attack came after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s air force and air defense network had been “practically destroyed”, adding that “air superiority has been achieved”. He said Russia had achieved its main goals, including downgrading Ukraine’s military. The story goes on under the ad Rob Lee, of the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, said the attack, which was likely carried out by Ukraine, had dealt a propaganda blow to Russia. “Shoigu said the war was going well. “And days later they are carrying out this helicopter attack in Russia, this brazen, daring attack and it is shameful,” Lee said. “It helps to break the propaganda that is being pressured in Russia.” Striking across the border, Ukrainian forces would be lying to Russian media that the campaign was going according to plan, Li said. “But here there is very clear and indisputable evidence that the war is not going to be planned, that the Ukrainian army has not been destroyed and that the Ukrainian air force can still do business in Russia more than a month after the war.” The story goes on under the ad When Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba was asked about the allegations of Ukrainian involvement, he said he could not confirm or deny the allegation because he did not have all the relevant military information. Ukrainian army spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said Ukraine was not responsible for the disasters and mistakes made by Russia. He declined to confirm or deny Ukraine’s involvement, but said it was not the first time Russia had made such allegations. The video, posted on Twitter on March 29 and verified by the Washington Post, shows an explosion near Belgorod, Russia. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post) The Ukrainian operation was defensive, “to resist Russian military aggression on Ukrainian territory,” Motuzyanyk added. Following the Russian invasion on 24 February, Ukrainian forces initially established a defensive focus on Kyiv and other major cities, and in recent days have recaptured settlements near the capital and along the front lines. The story goes on under the ad Ukraine’s presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych also insisted that Ukraine focused on defending itself. “Maybe someone smoked in the wrong place,” he said, causing the fire. “It may have been an act of some soldiers who do not want to fight in Ukraine. Everything that happens on Russian soil is the responsibility of the Russian leadership. All questions to them “. Lee said this was not likely to be Ukraine’s first attack on Russian soil. Ukraine probably fired Tochka-U missiles into Russian territory on several occasions during the war. He dismissed speculation that the helicopter attack may have been a Russian fake flag, arguing that Moscow no longer needed to create a pretext for war. The story goes on under the ad On Tuesday, several explosions also occurred at an ammunition storage facility in Belgorod. Russian media initially reported that the blasts appeared to have been caused by fire from the Ukrainian side, but officials later blamed the blasts on a fire at the facility. Lee said it may have been triggered by a missile from Ukraine. The latest incident threatens to undermine progress in talks between the two sides aimed at reaching a peace agreement, now at a sensitive stage, as Ukraine offered concessions to Russia on Tuesday in exchange for a military withdrawal. Russian negotiators announced on Tuesday that Moscow forces would de-escalate their combat operations near Kyiv and Chernihiv to “build trust”, focusing on their struggle in eastern Ukraine. The announcement angered prominent state television presenters and experts, as well as on social media. The story goes on under the ad However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not trust Russia’s announcement of de-escalation, telling Ukrainians in one of his regular speeches on Thursday, “We do not believe anyone, not even a nice phrase.” US officials were also skeptical of Moscow’s announcement, saying it was a sign that Russia was likely to take time to regroup and reorganize its offensive. Stern reported from Mukachevo, Ukraine, and Berger from Jerusalem.
