Moscow said seven people were injured and six buildings damaged by “air strikes” in Russia’s southwestern region of Bryansk.
Ukraine has denied Moscow’s claims that Ukrainian forces have carried out attacks along the border between the two countries, including an air strike that Russia says injured seven people.
Russian officials said Ukrainian helicopters carried out several airstrikes in the country’s southwestern region of Bryansk on Thursday, the latest in a series of alleged attacks. across the border into Russia.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the incident involved two combat helicopters “equipped with heavy attack weapons” that had “illegally entered” Russian airspace.
“Moving at low altitude, they carried out at least six airstrikes on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo,” the commission said in a statement.
Six buildings were damaged and seven people were injured.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council rejected the claim and accused Russia of orchestrating “terrorist attacks” on its territory to incite “anti-Ukrainian hysteria” in the country.
“There have been a number of terrorist attacks on the Russian border in which the Russian leadership accuses Ukrainian intelligence and sabotage groups,” it said in a statement on social media.
Late on Thursday, the governor of Russia’s southwestern region of Belgorod said a village there had been set on fire by Ukrainian forces.
“The village of Spodaryushino has come under fire from Ukraine,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.
Gladkov added that no one was injured in the reported incident. He said the village and another nearby village had been evacuated “for security”.
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the reports.
Ukraine previously declined to comment on a number of cross-border incidents reported in recent weeks, including an attack on a fuel depot in Belgorod earlier this month, which Moscow accuses of being carried out by Ukrainian troops.
Russia’s Defense Ministry warned on Wednesday that continued “sabotage and attack” by Ukrainian forces could trigger retaliatory action.
“If such incidents continue, then [the] The consequences from the armed forces of the Russian Federation will be attacks on decision-making centers, including in Kyiv, where the Russian military has so far refrained,” the ministry said.
On Monday, authorities in Belgorod, Bryansk and two other Russian regions bordering Ukraine – Voronezh and Kursk – announced they would step up security measures because of what they warned was “possibly there are security measures” provocations” from Ukraine.
