russia ukraine war
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 126 Ukrainian drones, 64 of which were destroyed over the Volgograd region.
| Photo: AP - for representative purposes only
Ukrainian drones attacked a fuel and energy facility in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast on March 17, causing a fire, regional governor Igor Babushkin claimed.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, Babushkin said: "Overnight, the Ukrainian Armed Forces again attempted a massive drone attack on facilities located in the region, including a fuel and energy complex.”
Russia's Defense Ministry stated that its forces had downed 13 drones over the oblast. Governor Babushkin reported that debris from the drones caused a fire at the facility, with one person being hospitalized. Astrakhan Oblast, located in southwestern Russia near the Kazakhstan border, is approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) away from the front line in Ukraine.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia's energy and military infrastructure to disrupt Moscow's war effort. Overnight on March 14, Ukrainian drones struck the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, igniting a gasoline storage tank.
Kyiv has focused on hitting Russian refineries, oil depots, and defense industry sites, aiming to limit Moscow's ability to sustain its full-scale invasion.
Trump And Putin To Speak To End War
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he will be speaking to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and an important announcement regarding the end of the war in Ukraine may be made soon.
The US leader disclosed the upcoming conversation to reporters while flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening.
Trump spoke to Putin on call on March 14 which was less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss details of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine.