Ukraine’s military intelligence service on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a series of blasts near the Far East city of Vladivostok, though local authorities described the incident as a gas explosion.
Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee said the blasts occurred near the village of Shitovaya, located on the Sea of Japan, damaging vehicles but leaving no casualties. It said gas equipment was to blame.
Local residents told Russian media they saw soldiers and agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service in the area, and a reporter for Novaya Gazeta said a military helicopter was circling overhead.
A source in Ukraine’s GUR intelligence agency told Ukrainian outlets that the attack targeted a Russian military site and was carried out in revenge for “war crimes,” claiming multiple deaths and injuries.
The Moscow Times could not independently verify the claims.
In May, the same area was the site of explosions that Russian authorities then attributed to propane cylinders. Ukraine has said Russian military units involved in the siege of Mariupol and the failed 2022 assault on Kyiv are stationed in the area.
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