Moscow says Ukrainian airstrike hit Russian city, warns attack affects peace talks

As Russia prepares to respond to a Ukrainian peace proposal, Moscow on Friday accused Kyiv of carrying out an air strike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod – an incident Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he could neither confirm nor deny.

If Ukraine was indeed involved in the air strike, it would symbolize the first attack on Russian soil since Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched the illegal invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Video footage of the purported attack showed what appeared to be several missiles being fired from low altitude before exploding on the Russian side of the border, Reuters reported.

According to Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, two Ukrainian helicopters allegedly struck the facility in Belgorod – some 22 miles from the Ukrainian border – after entering Russian airspace at a low altitude. Two workers were injured during the attack and some areas of the city were being evacuated, Gladkov added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke with reporters shortly after the attack and said Putin had been briefed about the strike and warned it could jeopardize the ongoing peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

"Of course this cannot be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for continuing the talks," Peskov said.

Russia announced on Tuesday that it would “drastically reduce” its military operations around Kyiv and northern Ukraine after representatives from Russia and Ukraine met for another round of peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

Although Putin reportedly expected a lightning-fast victory after launching his “special military operation” on Feb. 24, heavy Ukrainian resistance has stalled most Russian advances and decimated supply lines, often forcing Russian troops to capitulate or retreat. In recent days, intelligence reports have even suggested that Ukrainians have begun to counterattack and reclaim lost territory.

The Kremlin, for its part, has claimed that it has achieved its military objectives and is now prepared to begin scaling back aggressions, CNN reported.

Although Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russian troops were indeed pulling back from Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, they warned that Russia could be using the alleged withdraw as a distraction in order to resupply and reinforce its forces.

Putin’s armies, it claimed, are struggling to reinforce and rotate in new soldiers due to the "refusal of personnel to participate in the so-called special operation" and are "not able to staff even one battalion-tactical group." 

"The Russian enemy did not meet the goal of its offensive operation," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an official Facebook update Tuesday, adding that several Russian units were reportedly withdrawing from besieged cities. 

Russia's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday that it was regrouping forces from Kyiv and Chernihiv to focus on Donbas, a breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, France 24 reported.

Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency chief, said Russia’s invasion had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government – meaning Putin would likely focus on operations in the country’s southern and eastern regions.

"There is reason to believe that he is considering a 'Korean' scenario for Ukraine," said Budanov. "That is, [Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine."

U.S. officials also believe the Kremlin is implementing a major strategy shift and pulling back troops, but warned that Russia could cover its retreat with air and artillery bombardments and could reverse course if battle conditions permit it.

Although the outcome of the talks is still unclear, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said enough progress was made to allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person.

“We have documents prepared now which allow the presidents to meet on a bilateral basis," Podolyak said, adding that “talks with continue online 24/7” and that Ukraine needs “clear legal wording” before any conditions are considered.