Power was cut off in 7 villages in the Russian Belgorod Province due to a Ukrainian drone attack (Russian press)

Russian regional governors and media said that fires broke out at fuel facilities in Oryol in central Russia and Nizhny Novgorod in the west of the country on Tuesday after attacks by Ukrainian drones. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican ambassador because of the Pope’s statements about the “white flag.”

The official Russian Information Agency, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that air defense systems shot down a total of 25 drones launched by Ukraine over several Russian regions.

It was not immediately clear whether all the drones had been destroyed.

Gleb Nikitin, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, said via the Telegram application: “In the morning, the Kustovo Industrial Zone, a fuel and energy complex, was attacked by drones,” adding that a fire broke out in a fuel processing unit in Nizhny Novgorod as a result of the attack.

The Russian Information Agency, citing the Russian Railways, reported that a firefighting train participated in extinguishing a fire in the area of ​​a Lukoil refinery in Kustovo, Nizhny Novgorod region.

Andrei Klychkov, the governor of the Oryol region - western Russia - said via the Telegram application that Ukraine launched a drone attack on a fuel facility in the Oryol region, while the Russian Information Agency reported, citing emergency services, that an oil tank caught fire as a result of the attack.

Baza, a channel closely linked to Russian law enforcement authorities, posted a photo of huge flames rising above what appeared to be an industrial facility.

The channel quoted local residents as saying that an explosion occurred before the fire broke out.

Officials in the Moscow metropolitan area and the Kursk, Tula, Voronezh and Belgorod regions, all located in western Russia near the Ukrainian border, also reported drone attacks.

They gave few details about possible damage, but said no injuries or casualties were reported from the attacks.

In the past few months, Ukraine has launched a series of drone attacks on Russian refineries and energy facilities. Some of these attacks have succeeded and caused significant damage and disruption.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, said on the Telegram application that 7 residential complexes in the Russian region bordering Ukraine were without electricity overnight after a drone launched by Ukraine dropped explosives.

Zelensky: Ukraine has developed its strategic position despite the lack of weapons (Al Jazeera)

Front position

In a related context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation on the Ukrainian war front with Russia is better than it was three months ago, as Russian forces did not achieve any new progress after their seizure last month of the city of Avdiivka in the east of the country.

Zelensky explained, in an interview with the French BFM channel yesterday, Monday, that Ukraine has developed its strategic location despite the lack of weapons, but he indicated that the situation may change again if his country does not receive new supplies.

He added: We faced some difficulties due to the shortage of artillery shells, the air siege, Russian long-range weapons, and the attacks carried out by massive Russian drones.

He added, "We worked in a very effective way... to confront the Russian aircraft. Our situation improved in the east. We stopped the advance of the Russian forces."

Russia's seizure of Avdiivka gave its forces breathing space in defending the Russian-controlled regional center of Donetsk, 20 kilometers to the east.

Russian forces then captured a group of villages near Avdiivka.

But Ukrainian military spokesmen said last week that these forces had not achieved new progress and that Ukrainian forces had strengthened their positions.

White flag

Politically, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican ambassador yesterday, Monday, to express “disappointment” over Pope Francesco’s statements in which he said that Ukraine must display what he called “the courage of the white flag” and launch talks with Russia to end the war that has been going on for two years.

The Pope made these statements in an interview with Swiss radio RSI, which is scheduled to be broadcast on March 20.

A statement published on the ministry's website said that the Vatican's ambassador to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kolbukas, had been informed that the pope should refrain from making statements that "legitimize the right to force and encourage a greater disregard for the standards of international law."

He added that Ukraine seeks peace more than any other country, but this peace must be just and based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Zelensky denounced the Pope's statements - although he did not refer to them directly - but said that religious figures should not participate in "hypothetical mediation between those who want to live and those who want to destroy you."

Zelensky's peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian forces, a return to Ukraine's 1991 borders, and taking due legal measures to hold Russia accountable for its actions.

Russia says it cannot hold any talks based on this proposal.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies