Photo: fonar.tv
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denies the information published by the russian authorities that “the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the oil depot in Belgorod.”
This news was published by the newspaper “Today” citing a source in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
“We suspect that the explosion at the oil depot in Belgorod, russia, was caused by the negligence of the occupiers or to hide someone’s corruption,” the Defense Ministry representatives told reporters.
According to Ukrainian military officials, they have no information that units of the Armed Forces were involved in the explosion.
As reported earlier, on April 1, a large fire was observed in the russian city of Belgorod, 40 km from the Ukrainian border. Eight oil tanks were burning.
According to the latest data from TASS, the area of fires at the oil depot in Belgorod was 1,200 square meters. Two more tanks were damaged, and they began to leak.
Because of the events in Belgorod, the security services in the neighboring Kursk region went on high alert. Long queues formed at the gas station.
Russian authorities have accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine of the reported emergency. They say that the cause of the fire at the oil depot was an attack from two Ukrainian helicopters, which allegedly entered Russian airspace at a low altitude.
The BBC’s Defense correspondent, Jonathan Beale, who is currently in Odessa, said that flying at night into the russian territory to launch an attack on an enemy fuel depot would have required extraordinary bravery and finely-honed flying skills. He notes that Ukrainian helicopter pilots have extensive experience of flying low and fast. This is what they have been practicing in the east of the country for years.
“This alleged attack alone will not dramatically alter the battle. But it could show Ukraine has managed to keep its air force functioning, and give a huge boost to the morale of Ukraine’s military,” stated the British expert.
On March 29, near the russian city of Belgorod, a series of explosions was heard. According to reports on social media, ammunition exploded in the warehouse.
Commenting on the situation, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk, noted that an unauthorized detonation of ammunition took place in Belgorod. “This is an example of the typical Russian neglect of safety and the widespread use of dangerous ammunition from World War II,” said the Ukrainian official.