Ukrainian Forces Hit Moscow's Oil Refinery With UK-supplied Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles.

As part of a notable military action, Kyiv's forces have employed long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a key Russian oil processing facility. The attack occurred on Thursday, according to the country's military command.

Details of the Strike and Strategic Impact

The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with "numerous explosions" recorded at the location. This represents not the first instance where Ukrainian forces has utilized these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit targets on Russian soil.

Ukrainian officials emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk plant serves as one of the main suppliers of fuel products in southern Russia and is directly involved in supplying the military of the Russian Federation.

Political Discussions on the War Front

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held productive discussions with representatives of former US President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on potential pathways to end the war.

“It was a very productive conversation: many details, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a messaging platform. “There are some fresh concepts on how to bring real peace closer, and it concerns approaches, meetings, and, of course, the timeline.”

Judicial Proceedings Inside the Country

In a parallel domestic matter, a Russian court has found guilty a activist and critic of Vladimir Putin on charges of justifying terrorism. Sergei Udaltsov, head of the opposition movement, was sentenced to six years in prison.

The charges are said to be based on an online post Udaltsov published backing another group of activists charged with forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has rejected the allegations as politically motivated and, after the sentencing, stated his intention to go on a hunger strike in defiance.

International Detainee Case

Russian authorities has stated it is engaged with French officials regarding the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a three-year sentence in Russia and allegedly facing additional accusations of espionage.

An official stated that Russia has presented a proposal to France in the case of Vinatier, and now “the ball is in France’s court.” President Emmanuel Macron’s office stated he is closely following the situation, with all government services working to provide consular support and push for his release as soon as possible.

Symbolic Reconstruction in Mariupol

The Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was leveled in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians sought refuge in its cellar, is scheduled to open its doors again. Russian occupation authorities have promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

However, previous staff from the theatre have called the planned opening as “dancing on bones.” This project is part of a wider Kremlin effort to present its administration in occupied Ukraine, a process accompanied by the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and confiscation of assets from Ukrainian citizens.

The theatre is expected to open by the end of the month with a show of a classic Russian story, following its reconstruction largely anew over the last 24 months.