In the early hours of Wednesday, a series of blasts were heard in three Russian provinces bordering Ukraine, authorities said.

Also, an ammunition depot in the Belgorod province caught fire around the same time.

Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a fire at the ammunition depot near the Staraya Nelidovka village had been extinguished, and no civilians had been injured.

The Belgorod province borders Ukraine’s Luhansk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, all of which have seen heavy fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago.

Separately, Roman Starovoyt, the governor of Russia’s Kursk province, which also borders Ukraine, said explosions had been heard in Kursk city early on Wednesday, most likely the sounds of air defence systems firing.

In Voronezh, the administrative centre of another province adjacent to Ukraine, Russia’s TASS news agency cited an emergency ministry official saying two blasts had been heard and the authorities were investigating.

Russia this month accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in Belgorod with helicopters and opening fire on several villages in the province.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance, and the west has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia to force it to withdraw its forces. 

(Reuters/NAN)