Ukraine has denied Moscow claims that Ukrainian forces carried out attacks along the border between the two countries, including an airstrike that Russia said left seven wounded. Russian officials say Ukrainian helicopters struck several times in the southwestern Bryansk region of the country on Thursday, the latest in a series of alleged cross-border attacks on Russian soil. Russia’s Investigative Committee said the incident involved two fighter jets “equipped with heavy assault rifles” 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, he claimed. Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has denied the allegations, accusing Russia of carrying out “terrorist attacks” on its territory to provoke “anti-Ukrainian hysteria” in the country. “There have been several terrorist attacks on the Russian border, in which the Russian leadership accuses Ukrainian sabotage and intelligence groups,” she said in a statement on social media. Later on Thursday, the governor of Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region said a village there had come under fire from Ukrainian forces. “The village of Spodaryushino has come under fire from Ukraine,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Gladkov added that no one was injured in the incident. He said the village and another nearby had been evacuated to “ensure security”. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the reports. Ukraine has previously refused to comment on several cross-border incidents reported in recent weeks, including the attack on a fuel depot in Belgorod earlier this month, which Moscow claimed was carried out by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry warned on Wednesday that the continuation of “sabotage and attacks” by Ukrainian forces could provoke retaliation. “If such incidents continue, then [the] “Consequences from the armed forces of the Russian Federation will be the attacks on decision-making centers, including Kiev, from which the Russian army has avoided until today,” the ministry said. On Monday, authorities in Belgorod, Bryansk and two other Russian regions bordering Ukraine – Voronezh and Kursk – announced that they would step up security measures for what they warned were “possible challenges” from the Ukrainian side.
