Russia holds Ukraine responsible for oil depot attack

The oil storage depot in Russia got attacked by Ukrainian helicopters. The oil depot situated north of Ukraine was destroyed by two helicopters.

The videos on Twitter showed a blaze near apartment blocks in Belgorod. This is around 40km (25 miles) from the border. A few clips showed how rockets hit the oil depot. Though Ukrainian rockets never struck any target in Russia before.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov’s claim did not confirmed by Ukrainian officials. Putin blamed Ukraine for the blaze. He further added that the situation is not ideal for continuity of talks. Also, the peace talks made very little progress.

Russian authorities made efforts to reorganize the fuel supply chain. It is also taking quick steps to avoid disruption of energy supplies in Belgorod. Belgorod has a strength of 370,000. It is now heavily shelled by Russian artillery.

Governor Gladkov stated, “there was a fire at the oil depot because of an airstrike carried out by two Ukrainian army helicopters, which entered Russian territory at low altitude”.

He also mentioned that emergency workers tried hard to control the fire quickly. There were no threats to residents. The emergency ministry also posted a video of the blaze on telegram.

The Russian news agency Interfax reported that nearby residents evacuated. Two people reported injured. Eight fuel tanks were on fire. Almost 200 firefighters were on the spot.

The oil depot functions from Russian state oil firm Rosneft. Queues of cars formed at local petrol stations. Mr. Gladkov said that Belgorod’s fuel supplies are still plentiful.

The Russian news agency, RIA Novosti, said that three of the tanks extinguished. However, the risk of fire spreading still exists.

Ukraine has not yet taken responsibility for this attack. Once Ukraine claims the attack, tensions will grow between the two nations. Ukrainian journalist in Kyiv, Yury Butusov, stated that it was a missile attack. The attack was by two Ukrainian Mi-24 combat helicopters. Also, it flew from Ukraine to Russian Belgorod over low altitudes.

Credits: BBC