Ukrainian forces attacked a petroleum depot inside Russia, igniting a fire that caused several fuel tanks at the site to erupt into flames, the official Tass news agency said Friday.
The airstrikes, reportedly carried out by two helicopters from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, entered Russia’s airspace at a low altitude before launching missiles at the fuel depot near Belgorod, located about 25 miles north of the border, according to Tass.
The attack marks Russia’s first public acknowledgment that Ukraine has attacked targets inside the country since it launched an invasion more than a month ago. There were no reports of any casualties from the helicopter mission.
Officials said eight 2,000 cubic meter fuel tanks went up in flames. Local fire crews were able to extinguish half of the flames by 1 p.m. Friday Moscow time. The firefighting effort at the fuel depot is continuing, officials said.
Buildings at a nearby industrial park also were damaged as a result of the attack, according to Tass.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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