Russia accuses Ukraine of daring airstrikes on fuel depot in Belgorod, Russia

Officials in Belgorod, a Russian city near Kharkiv, Ukraine, say Ukrainian military helicopters were responsible for explosions and subsequent fires at a fuel depot early Friday. "The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike coming from two helicopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which entered the territory of the Russian Federation flying at a low altitude," Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. "There are no victims," though two workers were injured.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosions; Bohdan Senyk, the head of the public affairs department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told CNN there was "no information" about the incident. "It would be the first time that Ukrainian aircraft have flown into Russian airspace to hit a target, bringing the war home to Russia," and giving "a huge boost to the morale of Ukraine's military," BBC defense correspondent Jonathan Beale writes from Odessa.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.