Kyiv Strikes Russian Oil Refinery With UK-supplied Storm Shadow Missiles.

As part of a notable military action, Ukrainian forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike a major Russian oil refinery. The attack was carried out Thursday, as stated by the Ukrainian military authorities.

Details of the Strike and Military Significance

The plant in question, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was said to be hit, with multiple blasts recorded at the location. This marks another instance where Ukrainian forces has utilized these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit targets inside Russian soil.

Ukrainian officials noted that the Novoshakhtinsk plant acts as one of the primary providers of petrol products in southern Russia and is directly involved in providing for the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Political Discussions on the War Front

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that he held productive discussions with envoys of ex-President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The conversation focused on possible ways to end the war.

“It was a really good conversation: numerous specifics, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy stated on a social media platform. “There are some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer, and it concerns approaches, meetings, and, of course, the timeline.”

Judicial Proceedings Within Russia

Meanwhile, in a internal matter, a court in Russia has convicted a activist and opponent of Vladimir Putin on charges of justifying terrorism. Sergei Udaltsov, head of the Left Front movement, was sentenced to six years in a penal colony.

This case reportedly stem from an online post Udaltsov published in support of another group of Russian activists charged with forming a terrorist organisation. Udaltsov has denied the charges as politically motivated and, after the sentencing, stated his intention to begin a hunger strike in protest.

International Detainee Case

Russian authorities has stated it is engaged with French authorities concerning the case of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar currently serving a prison term in Russia and reportedly facing additional accusations of spying.

An official said that Russia has made an offer to France regarding Vinatier, and now “the ball is in France’s court.” President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is monitoring the situation, with all government services mobilised to offer assistance and advocate for his release as soon as possible.

Symbolic Reconstruction in Mariupol

The Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians were sheltering in its cellar, is set to reopen. Russian occupation authorities have heralded the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

Conversely, former actors from the theatre have denounced the reopening as “a macabre spectacle.” This project is part of a broader Kremlin effort to present its rule in occupied Ukraine, a process that includes the detention or expulsion of critics and property seizures from Ukrainian citizens.

It is expected to open by the month's end with a show of a classic Russian story, having been rebuilt largely anew over the last 24 months.