Russian officials claim Ukraine helicopters have bombed a Russian oil depot

Russian officials claim Ukraine helicopters have bombed a Russian oil depot in a dramatic escalation to the conflict.

The dramatic moment Ukraine attack helicopters allegedly blasted an oil depot inside Russia has been captured in harrowing images.

A huge fireball erupted at the storage plant in Belgorod with initial reports saying two had been wounded, The Sun reports.

Footage from several sources appeared to show missiles striking the location in the Freida industrial district of Belgorod city, causing the massive explosion.

The governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed the depot was hit by a low altitude Ukrainian attack helicopter strike at around 5:50am local time.

There was no immediate confirmation.

The governor said: “There are casualties. Two people. They‘re employees of the oil depot. They’ve been given first aid and their lives are not in danger.

“We are starting to resettle the residents of Pochtovaya, Makarenko and Konstantin Zaslonov streets to a safer location.”

Firefighters were seeking to stop the inferno igniting other oil storage tanks.

The oil plant is around 25 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Moscow today accused Ukraine of triggering a major oil depot explosion.

This comes amid Western claims that Russia aims to stage “false flag” attacks to be blamed on Ukraine as a justification for continuing the war.

Two days earlier Russia claimed Ukrainian forces had dropped a missile on a munitions depot some 12 miles from the border, also in Belgorod region.

Video of what the governor of Belgorod, Russia, says was a Ukrainian helicopter raid on the fuel storage depot in the city, a logistical hub for the invasion. The most daring known Ukrainian cross-border attack. Russia has been setting Ukrainians fuel depots ablaze for weeks. pic.twitter.com/KXNCkWISs8

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) April 1, 2022

Six missiles hit the facility in Krasny Oktyabr with four soldiers wounded, according to Russian sources.

If the attacks on Russian territory are confirmed as Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in the war, and a change of tactics from Kyiv.

Until now, hostilities have been limited mainly to Ukrainian territory.

On the earlier attack, Gladkov claimed: “Six cases of shells … were registered. The most important thing is that there are no victims.”

More than 200 firefighters currently tending to the blaze in Belgorod, around 40-50km from Russia’s border with #Ukrainepic.twitter.com/b9ca6Eate4

— Danny Armstrong (@DannyWArmstrong) April 1, 2022

Two days earlier Russia claimed Ukrainian forces had dropped a missile on a munitions depot some 12 miles from the border, also in Belgorod region. Six missiles hit the facility in Krasny Oktyabr with four soldiers wounded, according to Russian sources.

If the attacks on Russian territory are confirmed as Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in the war, and a change of tactics from Kyiv. Until now, hostilities have been limited mainly to Ukrainian territory.

On the earlier attack, Gladkov claimed: “Six cases of shells … were registered. The most important thing is that there are no victims.” It comes as Putin‘s invasion continues to stall - with demoralised Russian troops reportedly switching sides.

Captured Russian soldiers have formed their own battalion, and have been pictured training with their new Ukrainian comrades-in-arms.

n a video posted on the app Telegram, a man claiming to be a former Russian soldier says he is now part of the so-called Freedom of Russia legion.

Last week soldiers in a tank drove over and killed their brigade commander, Colonel Yuri Medvedev.

Meanwhile, a UK spy chief has revealed Russian forces are sabotaging their weapons and refusing to carry out orders amid surging Red Army deaths.

Bizarre footage appeared to show at least two Russian soldiers being abandoned by their comrades who speed off in a “Z” marked truck in a chaotic retreat from Ukraine.

And it‘s reported Chernobyl is back under the control of Ukrainian troops after Russian forces formally gave up the nuclear plant.

According to Ukrainian officials, more than 17,000 Russian troops have been killed since Putin ordered his butchers to invade on February 24.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission