As Kyiv and Moscow prepare for talks aimed at establishing a temporary halt on strikes against energy infrastructure, each side has accused the other of launching fresh attacks on the power grid, highlighting the deep mistrust between them.

Early Friday, a major Russian gas station near the Ukrainian border was set ablaze in an attack that both Ukraine and Russia blamed on each other. Unverified videos shared by Russian military bloggers depicted a large fire engulfing the station, which previously supplied gas to Europe through Ukraine.

Also on Friday, Russian authorities in the southwestern Krasnodar region reported a secondary explosion at a fuel depot that had been burning for two days after a Ukrainian drone attack. Russian officials stated that the fire had spread over more than 100,000 square feet.

Kyiv and Moscow agreed this week to a limited 30-day cease-fire on strikes against energy infrastructure, marking the first major step toward de-escalation in over three years of war.

However, the specifics of how and when this partial truce would take effect remain under discussion and are expected to be finalized during U.S.-mediated talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian national railway reported an attack on its power system. Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukrainian drones of striking a fuel depot in the Krasnodar region the same day. Neither claim could be independently verified.

Both sides have a vested interest in accusing the other of violating the cease-fire before it begins, aiming to depict their adversary as unreliable. Against this backdrop, Friday’s attack on the Russian gas station fits into the ongoing propaganda war.

The gas station is located just across the border from Ukraine, near the town of Sudzha, in territory that Ukrainian forces briefly occupied during their incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region last summer. However, recent Russian gains have pushed Ukrainian troops back, leaving them in control of only a small area, and it was unclear if they still held the station as of Friday.

Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Friday that it had launched a criminal investigation into the event, alleging that Ukrainian troops had “deliberately exploded the Sudzha gas distribution station, causing significant damage.”

In contrast, the Ukrainian Army suggested that the explosion was a Russian “false flag” operation designed to shift the blame to Ukraine. They contended that Russia had repeatedly shelled the station in the past as part of its counterattacks against Ukrainian troops in the area.

“Russians continue to create numerous fakes and attempt to mislead the international community,” the army stated in a Facebook post.

Ivan Nechepurenko contributed to this report.