April 27 (Reuters) – In the early hours of Wednesday, a series of explosions were heard in three Russian provinces bordering Ukraine, authorities said, and an ammunition depot in Belgorod province caught fire at about the same time.
Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the fire at an ammunition depot near the village of Stara Nelidovka had been extinguished and no civilians injured.
Russia this month accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in Belgorod with helicopters and opening fire on several villages in the province.
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The province of Belgorod borders Ukraine’s Luhansk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, all of which have witnessed heavy fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago.
Separately, Roman Starovoit, governor of the Russian province of Kursk, which also borders Ukraine, said explosions were heard in the city of Kursk early Wednesday, most likely the sounds of firing on air defense systems.
In Voronezh, the administrative center of another province neighboring Ukraine, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted an emergency ministry official as saying two explosions had been heard and authorities were investigating.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a “special operation” to worsen its military capabilities and eradicate what it calls dangerous nationalists. Ukrainian forces have strongly resisted, and the West has imposed broad sanctions on Russia in an attempt to force it to withdraw its troops.
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Reuters report; Edited by Tom Hogg, Jacqueline Wong and Kim Coghill
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