Ukraine airstrike on a Russian fuel station

According to the local governor, Ukrainian helicopters attacked a petroleum storage facility in Russia’s western town of Belgorod on Friday.

Russia has accused Ukraine of assaulting a Russian oil plant, amid speculation that the Kremlin is planning a ‘false flag’ strike to justify escalation of the conflict.

Two Ukrainian military helicopters attacked a petroleum storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday after crossing the border at low altitude, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, who was appointed by Vladimir Putin in 2020.

Gladkov noted that the subsequent fire injured two employees and that several portions of the city, which is close to the Ukrainian border, were evacuated.

The attack, according to video uploaded on social media, occurred at 5:43 a.m. local time, and was followed by helicopters flying away from the fire.

The event has yet to be verified by Ukraine’s government, but if confirmed, it will be the second time Ukraine has crossed the border since the invasion, adding to Putin’s humiliation after the Millerovo airbase was bombed last month.

The 369,000-person Russian city lies 25 miles from the Ukrainian border and 50 miles from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this week, there were claims that Ukraine had assaulted Belgorod. The explosion at a weapons storage station in Belgorod eventually proved to be the consequence of a human error rather than a Ukrainian attack.