Online Ladder of Francis with Russian youth August 25 Speaking about the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Pope Francis from the very beginning equalized the aggressor and the victim. He talked about the “clash of empires” and “warlike infantilism” of the West, he refused to clearly demand the return of the captured Ukrainian territories, calling this a “political issue” and advocating for negotiations between the parties. Among the innocent victims of the war, Pontiff mentioned Daria Dugin.