Russia says Ukraine choppers made rare cross-border strike

Russia said two Ukrainian military helicopters crossed the border and attacked an oil-storage facility in the city of Belgorod, causing a large fire early Friday.

Tass quoted Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov as saying the aircraft flew in at low altitude and struck the facility owned by Rosneft, the state oil company. Four of eight fuel tanks that had caught fire were extinguished by early afternoon, Interfax reported. Two workers were reported injured and nearby residents were being evacuated. A local industrial park also reported damage, according to Tass.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said officials had reported the incident to President Vladimir Putin. Peskov declined to comment on how Russian defences had failed to prevent the attack.

He said it “isn’t what could be seen as creating conditions conducive to the continuation of talks.” Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to meet via video-conference on Friday.

Focused on fighting Russian troops on their own territory, Ukrainian forces haven’t claimed any strikes on the other side of the border since the start of the war. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the Belgorod fire.

Russia has struck numerous fuel and other energy facilities in its invasion of Ukraine.

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