Is Ukraine launching strikes on Russian soil?
Russian officials said Wednesday that an ammunition depot caught fire near the border with Ukraine and that air defense systems shot down Ukrainian drones flying over Russia, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the incidents, which are only the latest in a series of fires and explosions that have occurred on Russian soil in the past month.
On April 1, explosions rocked a fuel depot in Belgorod, Russia. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov blamed "an airstrike coming from two helicopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces." Two days later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied that his country's troops had carried out the strike. "We're fighting for our country on our terrain," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Journal reports that fires also "broke out at two fuel-storage depots in [Russia's] Bryansk region on April 25."
On Tuesday, local authorities in the Russian-backed Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria reported an attack on a military unit and on two radio antennas. Again, the two sides offered opposing claims, with Russia blaming Ukraine and Ukraine characterizing the attacks as a Russian false flag operation.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak suggested on Twitter that the fires and explosions in Russia could be "karma for the murder of [Ukrainian] children." He also urged Europe to stop importing oil from Russia, "a country where everything is self-destructing."
Russian security expert Keir Giles told the Journal that the incidents inside Russia could easily be explained as "natural accidents" caused by Russia's "negligence."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 23, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - qualifications, tax cuts, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Long summer days in Iceland's highlands
The Week Recommends While many parts of this volcanic island are barren, there is a 'desolate beauty' to be found in every corner
By The Week UK Published
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?
Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
By The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?
Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Incendiary device plot: Russia's 'rehearsals' for attacks on transatlantic flights
The Explainer Security officials warn of widespread Moscow-backed 'sabotage campaign' in retaliation for continued Western support for Ukraine
By The Week UK Published
-
The North Korean troops readying for deployment in Ukraine
The Explainer Third country wading into conflict would be 'the first step to a world war' Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned
By The Week UK Published
-
Experts call for a Nato bank to 'Trump-proof' military spending
Under The Radar A new lender could aid co-operation and save millions of pounds, say think tanks
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What happens if Russia declares war on Nato?
Today's Big Question Fears are growing after Vladimir Putin's 'unusually specific warning' to Western governments
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Missile escalation: will long-range rockets make a difference to Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Kyiv is hoping for permission to use US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Atesh: the Ukrainian partisans taking on Russia
Under The Radar Underground resistance fighters are risking their lives to defend their country
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
'Second only to a nuclear bomb' – the controversial arms Russia is using in Ukraine
The Explainer Thermobaric bombs 'capable of vaporising human bodies' have been used against Ukraine
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published