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A fire engulfs a Russian ammunition depot near Ukraine. Photo/The Moscow Times
The first powerful explosion was heard across the region at around 03:30 a.m. local time, with some reports claiming air defenses had been activated. Several photos and videos showing the fire, followed by a secondary explosion, immediately circulated on social media.
According to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, there were no reports of casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure. He also said a local official had confirmed that an ammunition depot caught fire near the village of Staraya Nelidovka, about 12 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
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The fire was reportedly extinguished by 06:30 a.m. local time, but the exact cause of the incident is still unknown. Russia TodayWednesday (27/4/2022).
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, many settlements in the Belgorod Region have been hit by a salvo of attacks, with several criminal cases later being opened. On Monday evening alone, local authorities accused Ukraine of shelling at least three villages, including the settlements of Zhuravlevka, Golovchino and Nekhoteevka.
Russia attacked the neighboring country in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreement, which it first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
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The Minsk Protocol brokered by Germany and France was designed to give breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral nation that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists Russia’s attack is completely unwarranted and denies claims it plans to retake the two republics by force.
(ian)
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