(Bloomberg) — Russia said two Ukrainian military helicopters carried out a rare strike across the border, hitting an oil tank facility in the city of Belgorod. There was no immediate confirmation from Kiev. In Ukraine, Kiev said its forces have recaptured several villages in the Kherson region in the south, and talks between the two sides will resume via videoconference on Friday. There is still no verification from Moscow.
The United Nations said aid convoys had so far failed to reach Mariupol, while the southern port city was devastated by weeks of shelling. Russia said a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol was planned for Friday.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia would continue to supply gas to Europe even as it requires customers to pay in rubles, allaying fears the change could lead to harmful disruptions. European Union leaders plan to warn Putin’s main ally China that it will face a blow to its global role if it supports the invasion.
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Moscow said two Ukrainian military helicopters attacked an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 50 km (30 mi) north of the border, causing a major fire early Friday.
Tass quoted Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov as saying the plane had flown in at a low altitude. Eight fuel oil tanks were on fire and authorities said the fire could spread. Two workers were said to have been injured and local residents were evacuated.
Focused on fighting Russian troops on their own territory since February Ukrainian forces have not claimed any attacks on the other side of the border since the war started on February 24. Elsewhere on Friday, Kiev said its troops had moved several villages in the Kherson region to the south.
Governments are insufficiently aware of the long-term economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said OECD chief economist Laurence Boone.
“I do believe that we are underestimating the medium-term impact of this war,” Boone told Francine Lacqua of Bloomberg Television in Italy’s Cernobbio on Friday. “The longer the war lasts, the more uncertainty we have and the more we worry because uncertainty deters consumer purchases and business investment.”
Russia is redeploying as many of its 2,000 troops from Georgia to bolster its invasion of Ukraine, Britain’s Defense Ministry said. The armed forces are being reorganized into tactical battalion groups.
“It is highly unlikely that Russia intended to generate reinforcements in this way and it is indicative of the unexpected losses it suffered during the invasion,” the UK said.
European Union leaders plan to tell President Xi Jinping at a virtual summit that China will damage its global status if it gives Russia an economic or military lifeline. That clear message will test Beijing’s commitment to prevent the war from damaging its ties with Brussels.
The Russian military has blocked the satellite navigation systems used by commercial aircraft since the invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the need for robust alternatives, a French security regulator said.
Airline pilots have reported disruptions in regions around the Black Sea, eastern Finland and the enclave of Kaliningrad, said Benoit Roturier, head of satellite navigation at French civil aviation authority DGAC. The interference appears to be caused by Russian trucks carrying jamming equipment typically used to protect troops and installations from GPS-guided missiles, he said.
Russia said two Ukrainian helicopters crossed the border and attacked an oil storage facility in the city of Belgorod, sparking a major fire early Friday.
Tass quoted Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov as saying the plane had flown in at a low altitude. Eight fuel oil tanks were on fire and authorities said the fire could spread. Two workers were injured and local residents were evacuated.
Focused on fighting Russian forces on their own territory, Ukrainian forces have not claimed any attacks on the other side of the border since the start of the war. There was no immediate comment from Kiev about the Belgorod fire.
US stock futures moved higher and Asian equities were mixed as investors assessed the economic outlook amid moderating oil prices, Federal Reserve policy tightening and the war.
Oil sustained losses from a US move to release about a million barrels a day from reserves to address rising energy costs. The invasion of Russia has disrupted the flow of goods, pushing up prices for everything from fuel to food.
All members of the Group of 20 countries have equal status and no one has the power to split the group, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, according to a statement from the ministry. Biden has previously said that Russia should be removed from the G-20.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country will not withdraw from Russia’s Sakhalin-1 or 2 oil and gas project.
Poor Japan currently gets 3.6% of its crude oil imports from Russia, while about 90% of it comes from countries in the Middle East, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. Japan buys 9% of its LNG and 13% of its thermal coal imports from Russia.
The United Nations said the aid convoy was able to reach the northeastern city of Sumy, where it delivered food, medicine and other supplies. But it said the UN and partners have still been unable to deliver aid to other regions, including Mariupol.
Russian troops began to leave the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state energy company said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was unable to confirm reports of radiation exposure and is “looking for more information”. The IAEA said it was informed by Ukrainian officials that Russia has transferred control of the facility to Ukraine in writing.
Despite assurances from the International Red Cross and Moscow, Russian forces blocked Ukrainian buses from entering Berdyansk, a port about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Mariupol, and Melitopol, Vereshchuk said.
At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russia will also open a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to the Kiev-controlled area on Friday, Ria Novosti reported, citing the defense ministry.
Biden said there are signs that Putin has fired or detained key advisers.
“There is a lot of speculation,” Biden said, adding that Putin “seems isolated himself”. Biden also said it is an “open question” how ill-informed Putin is about the status of his military’s efforts in Ukraine.
“But I don’t want to put in too much stock right now because we don’t have that much hard evidence,” he added.
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said the chief of Russian forces at the Chernobyl facility said they are leaving after taking the facility infamous for its 1986 collapse in the early days of the war.
Leonid Oliynyk, the spokesperson for Energoatom, confirmed a letter on Telegram announcing the departure. Oliynyk — who is not in Chernobyl — said he was told that most Russian troops left the facility in two columns and headed for Belarus. However, it seemed that not all Russian troops had left.