Drones Spark Blaze at Oil Depot in Western Russia

A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Drones Spark Blaze at Oil Depot in Western Russia

A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the western Russian city of Penza early Friday, without causing any casualties, the region's governor said.

Social media videos purported to show a column of flames spewing from the site of an oil depot on Penza's eastern suburbs, about 618 kilometers (384 miles) from the front line.

Officials did not elaborate on the origin of the drones, but the Russian defense ministry said its air defenses had intercepted at least 12 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Penza region.

Ukraine, which has targeted Russian energy infrastructure throughout the nearly four-year war in an attempt to sap the country's war chest, did not immediately comment.

"At around 4:00 am (0100 GMT), a drone attack caused a fire at an oil depot in Penza. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties or injuries," governor Oleg Melnichenko said on Telegram.

Relatively inexpensive Ukrainian drones have caused billions of dollars worth of damage to Russian oil and gas facilities.

Kyiv says the attacks are fair retaliation for Russian strikes on its own energy system.

Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy grid in recent weeks has left thousands of people without heating and power during sub-zero temperatures.



Türkiye Says Third Ballistic Missile from Iran Shot Down

 This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
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Türkiye Says Third Ballistic Missile from Iran Shot Down

 This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)

Türkiye’s defense ministry on Friday said a ballistic missile from Iran had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces in the third such incident of the Middle East war. 

"A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean," a ministry statement said. 

Hours earlier, sirens wailed at Türkiye’s southern Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed, state news agency Anadolu reported. 

Local media also reported sirens in Batman, 600 kilometers (370 miles) further east. 

NATO air defenses shot down a first ballistic missile fired from Iran on March 4, with a second intercepted on Monday. 

Residents of the southern city of Adana, next to Incirlik, were woken by sirens at 3:25 am (0025 GMT) and several posted footage of a fast-moving object that appeared to be on fire, the Ekonomim business news website reported. 

Separately, sirens sounded in Batman around 4:00 am, with reporters saying the alarm appeared to be coming from a military drone base next to the city's airport. 

Monday's incident prompted Washington to close its consulate in Adana and urge all US citizens to leave southeastern Türkiye. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied the missile had been fired from Iran in a phone call to Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Since the US-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28, Tehran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East. 

Incirlik is an important NATO facility used by US troops for decades, but which also hosts military personnel from Spain and Poland, its website says. 

US troops are also stationed at Kurecik, a base in the central Malatya province, where they man an early-warning radar system NATO describes as a "key element" of its missile shield that can detect Iranian missile launches. 

Although Ankara has categorically denied radar data has ever been used to help Israel, its presence has rattled Tehran. 

On Tuesday, Türkiye said a Patriot missile defense system was being deployed in Malatya just days after NATO moved to strengthen its "alliance-wide ballistic missile defense posture". 


Russia Says It Doesn't See Iran Crisis Reducing US Interest in Ukraine Peace Talks

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
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Russia Says It Doesn't See Iran Crisis Reducing US Interest in Ukraine Peace Talks

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo

Russia is not concerned at this point that the Iran crisis will reduce US interest in mediating ‌peace talks ‌on Ukraine, ‌Kremlin ⁠spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ⁠on Friday.

"No, there are no such concerns at ⁠this time; our ‌contacts with ‌our American ‌counterparts provide ‌no grounds for such doubts," Peskov told reporters in ‌response to a question.

Russia is ⁠expecting ⁠a new round of negotiations, but has nothing to announce yet on the timing, he said.


Islamic Nations D-8 Summit Postponed Due to Middle East War

People gather at the site of an airstrike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather at the site of an airstrike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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Islamic Nations D-8 Summit Postponed Due to Middle East War

People gather at the site of an airstrike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather at the site of an airstrike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. (Reuters)

An April summit of the D-8 bloc of Muslim-majority developed countries that includes Iran has been postponed due to the war in the Middle East, host Indonesia said Friday.

No new date was announced for the meeting that was to have stretched over four days, culminating in a leaders' summit on April 15.

Fresh strikes rocked Iran and several Gulf countries Friday as Israel and Iran unleashed a new wave of attacks in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy.

Apart from Iran and Indonesia, the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation also includes Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Türkiye.

Referring to "developments since February 28" when the US-Israeli attacks on Iran started, Indonesian foreign ministry official Tri Tharyat said it was decided to hold the D-8 meeting at a later date.

"It is regrettable that there are still no visible signs of de-escalation," he told reporters in Jakarta.

"Last night, the foreign minister signed a letter addressed to his counterparts announcing the postponement of the D-8 summit," added Tri.