Shafaq News/ Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking an oil facility inside Russia, amid claims the Kremlin could stage a 'false flag' attack to justify a further escalation of the war.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, appointed by Vladimir Putin in 2020, said two of Ukraine's military helicopters struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday after crossing the border at low altitude.

The resulting blaze injured two workers, Gladkov added, while some areas in the city, located close to the Ukrainian border, were being evacuated.

Video shared on social media appeared to show the attack happening at 5.43am local time, followed by helicopters flying away from the blaze, although analysts have noted Russia uses the same time of helicopters as Ukraine.

Ukraine's government is yet to confirm the incident but if confirmed, it would be the second time Ukraine has ventured past the border since the invasion in the latest humiliation for Putin in his flailing campaign after the Millerovo airbase was targeted last month.

The Russian city of 369,000 people is 25 miles from the border with Ukraine, and 50 miles from Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier in this week, reports initially claimed that Ukraine had attacked Belgorod. It later appeared more likely that the explosion at a weapons storage depot near Belgorod was the result of a human error, and not a Ukrainian airstrike.

The attack could be the latest boost for Volodymyr Zelensky who is striking back against the invading forces, and today recaptured the two strategic villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka on a main supply route between Kyiv and Chernihiv.

Source: Daily Mail