London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Ukraine rejects Kremlin claim it sent helicopters to attack oil depot in Russia

If Moscow’s accusation is true, the airstrike would be first raid on Russian territory so far in the war

Russia has claimed that Ukraine sent attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what, if confirmed, would be the first raid on Russian soil since it launched its invasion.

Ukraine denied that it launched the attack, raising questions about whether Russian negligence may be to blame.

A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, denied responsibility for the attack. “For some reason, they say that we did it, but in fact this does not correspond with reality,” he said on Ukrainian television.

Earlier on Friday,the Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych said: “We are holding defensive military operations on our own territory … Everything that happens on Russian territory is the responsibility of the Russian leadership. All questions to them.”

A number of prominent Ukrainian commentators have claimed that the attack could be a “false flag” meant to justify a Russian mobilisation or scuttle negotiations.

The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov fuelled those rumours by saying the attack could hamper negotiations, although he stopped short of announcing any concrete response to the alleged attack.

“What has happened is certainly not something that can be perceived as creating conditions comfortable for the continuation of negotiations,” Peskov said.

Peskov later said that Russia would strengthen its western borders so that “it wouldn’t cross anyone’s mind to attack”, RIA news agency reported.


Video posted on social media on Friday appeared to show a helicopter strike using air-to-ground missiles, followed by a major fire at a facility said to be in Belgorod, with flames reaching dozens of metres into the air.

Reports showed that the facility continued to burn until midday on Friday. Dozens of firefighters were dispatched to battle the inferno.

Other videos showed the helicopters, the model of which is used by both Ukraine and Russia, flying in the region. None of these videos have been verified, however.

“The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at low altitude,” said the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. “There are no victims.”

Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday that the facility had been attacked but claimed it did not supply fuel to the military.

Russia has claimed cross-border shelling from Ukraine before, including an alleged attack on an air base in February and an incident last week that allegedly killed a military chaplain, but not an incursion of its airspace. The depot, run by Russian energy giant Rosneft, is about 21 miles from the Ukraine border.

There have been other incidents in Belgorod, which has served as a major hub for Russian military units involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

There was an explosion earlier on Thursday at the site of an arms depot there, raising speculation that saboteurs were targeting the city.

The Russian news agency Tass reported that four service personnel were injured because of that explosion.

The explosions in the Russian rear came after Russia announced it was winding down its offensive toward Kyiv after its troops met heavy resistance in the month-long war. Western officials have warned that Russia may be repositioning its troops for a larger attack on Ukraine’s east.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in late night address on Thursday that Russia was consolidating and preparing “powerful strikes” in the country’s east and south. “This is part of their tactics,” he said.

“We know that they are moving away from the areas where we are beating them to focus on others that are very important… where it can be difficult for us,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×