MOSCOW/KYIV: While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the European Union of attempting to drive the country out of Central Asia, and said the bloc is failing, Ukraine insisted that the blast that killed Russian military officers in Melitopol was triggered by `local resistance movements`.

On the other hand, Moscow blamed Ukrainian forces for carrying out a series of attacks in the border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod, damaging five train carriages and causing one injury.

Earlier during an interview, which was broadcasted on Sunday, FM Lavrov said, `The European Union isn`t hiding its intentions to restrain (Russia) in every possible way and push it out of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

These attempts are futile. We have been historically present there and are not going to disappear.

Moscow`s sway over a region it considers its sphere of influence has waned since the offensive in Ukraine, with Europe, Russia, Turkiye, Iran and China all vying for influence in Central Asia.

Kremlin spol(esman Dmitry Peskov said Western countries were investing in Central Asia for the sal(e of ousting Russia.

Lavrov was giving an interview on the sidelines of a visit to Kazakhstan this week, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Russian leadership`s trip to Kazakhstan came a week after a separate visit to the country by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Frenchleaderhad praised acountry `which refuses to be at the bottom of the subjugation of a few powers,` an implied reference to Russia.

Lavrov said Macron`s statements `quite brazen, for diplomatic language` `Kyiv attacks border regions` Meanwhile, Moscow said it would open an investigation into a Ukrainian strike which injured a civilian in a village on the Ukrainian border, without giving more specifics.

The governor of Belgorod, VyacheslavGladkov, said that drones and missiles had targeted severalareasin the region, in most cases causing no damage. But three houses and `five railway carriages were damaged` in the town of Valuyki some 30 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, he said.

Gladkov also said that power lines were hit, temporarily cutting of f electricity.

Overnight, Russia`s defence ministry said it had destroyed two Ukrainian drones in the region, preventing what it called attempts at a `terrorist attack`.

Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory have increased in recent months amid a much-touted Ukrainian counter-offensive launched at the beginning of June.

Kyiv also said that a strike by Moscow caused the death of a 64-year-old man in the southern region of Kherson, and injured his wife.

Melitopol blast `revenge` Meanwhile, Ukraine said the blast triggered by `local resistance movements` in the Moscow-controlled Melitopol city killed Russian military officers at their headquarters.

Melitopol, with a pre-war population of around 150,000 people, was captured early after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year and now lies some dozens of miles behind the frontline further north.

`At least three officers of the Russian guard were eliminated` as a result of the `revenge action, carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement,` the intelligence service of Ukraine`s defence ministry said on Telegram.

`The attack on the headquarters was carried out during the meeting of the (Russian security service) FSB and (Russian National Guard) Rosgvardia, the same source added.

The exiled mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov earlier said residents reported an `explosion, which was heard in all corners of the city` and police cars speeding through the city.

AFP was not able to independently confirm the claims.

Melitopol is in Zaporizhzhia, one of the four regions along with Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kherson that Russia claims to have annexed without fully controlling them.-Agencies