Moment ‘arms depot’ in Russia hit by ‘Ukrainian missile’ sparking firework-like explosions

THIS is the moment a suspected arms depot was allegedly hit by a Ukrainian missile, sparking firework-like explosions.

The huge blast took place in Belgorod, western Russia, just 12 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr.

The aftermath of the missile strike could be seen from Ukraine last night.

Yuriy Butusov, a Ukrainian journalist, claimed the depot was hit by an OTR-21 Tochka-U ballistic missile fired by the Ukrainian 19th missile brigade.

This has not yet been confirmed by Ukrainian officials.

If verified, it will be the second Ukrainian strike on Russian territory since the start of the war after the Milerovo airbase was attack in late February.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, confirmed there had been an explosion and added no Russian civilians had been injured.

He refused to shed any light on the reason for the explosion.

Gladkov said: “Explosions were heard on the territory of Belgorod and the Belgorod region.

“The incident took place near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr.

"The head of the village is in direct contact with me and has given me all the information.

“There are no casualties or injuries among the residents.

“I'll post the reason for this later.”

Russian news agency TASS reported four servicemen were injured when “a projectile exploded in a military encampment”.

The report added: “Initial data indicates that the projectile was launched from the Ukrainian territory.”

An emergency services source told the agency: "A projectile fell on the territory of a military encampment in the Belogord Region. Four servicemen were injured.”

The blasts came after Russia said it would start “drastically reducing” troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv.

The announcement was made by the Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin and comes as a fresh round of peace negotiations get under way in Istanbul.

Moscow had decided to fund "cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv to increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations", he said.

But the Ukrainian re-taking of the town of Irpin near Kyiv shows Russian forces are on the back foot.

It comes as...

• Vladimir Putin and his inner circle are reportedly living in top-secret nuclear bunkers as the bloody war unfolds in Ukraine. 
• Roman  Abramovich has been pictured for the first time since claims he was poisoned during Ukraine war peace talks.
• A Russian commander has reportedly killed himself after finding out that 90 per cent of his unit's infamous Z tanks are useless.
• Russia has “significantly increased” its military presence in the Arctic Circle since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
• Putin is a threat to everybody but he is losing the war badly and is humiliated – a swift peace deal is in his interests
• A female Russian sniper with 40 kills to her name was captured after being abandoned on the battlefield.
• A kickboxing world champion has been killed while fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol.

Negotiations are expected to resume on Wednesday, after weeks of fighting which has left thousands dead and nearly four million Ukrainians have fled their country.

Meanwhile, Fomin’s superior Sergey Shoigu said Russian forces would now focus on the “liberation” of the eastern Donbass region, indicating a major shift in tactics after Russian forces met with stern resistance.

The Russian announcement was nonetheless greeted with scepticism by some in the Ukrainian leadership.

“These statements are absolute lies intended to win time for strengthening Russian positions,” tweeted government adviser Anton Gerashchenko.

And Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said of the Russians: “They must think that we were born yesterday.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Russian President Vladimir Putin could still seek to “twist the knife” as the war moves into a new phase.

In recent days Ukraine said its troops had pushed Russian forces back from Irpin, near Kyiv.

The Ukrainians managed to reoccupy towns and defensive positions up to 21 miles east of the capital.

Despite the victories, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned there would still be hard fighting to come.

"We still have to fight, we have to endure," said Zelensky.

"This is a ruthless war against our nation, against our people, against our children."