Russia has accused Ukraine of a fire that broke out at a fuel depot in Belgorod, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, even as war continues to rage in Ukraine and both countries are in the midst of peace talks to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Russia said the fire was caused by an airstrike from Ukrainian helicopters. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, however, told CNN it had no information about the incident.
When asked whether it was Ukraine who had carried out the attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, echoed the same sentiment and said that he could not verify it.
The Russian Ministry of Defence on Friday stated that two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters carried out an attack on a fuel storage facility in southern Russia.
"On April 1, at about 5:00 a.m. Moscow time, two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters entered the airspace of the Russian Federation at extremely low altitudes. Ukrainian helicopters launched a missile attack on a civilian oil storage facility located on the outskirts of Belgorod. As a result of the missile hit, individual tanks were damaged and caught fire," Russian MOD spokesperson Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
UK Defence Ministry said in the latest intelligence update that oil tanks at a depot in Belgorod mean probable loss of fuel and ammunition supplies to the Russian forces.
The update further suggested that the Friday strike at the depot will likely add more strain to Russia's already stretched logistic chains.
Meanwhile, Russian troops are "slowly but noticeably" moving out of the north of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Friday.
"The occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. The withdrawal is slow but noticeable. Somewhere they are expelled with battles. Somewhere they leave positions on their own," Zelenskyy said.
He also urged Ukrainians to remain cautious in the north as troops withdraw.
"We are moving forward. Moving carefully. And everyone who returns to this area must also be very careful. It is still impossible to return to normal life as it was. Even in the areas, we return after the fighting. You will have to wait. Wait for our land to be cleared. Wait until you can be assured that new shelling is impossible," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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