Ukrainian Forces Hit Russian Oil Refinery With UK-supplied Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles.

As part of a notable military action, Ukrainian forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike a key Russian oil processing facility. This strike occurred on Thursday, as stated by the country's military authorities.

Details of the Strike and Military Significance

The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts observed at the location. This represents not the first instance where Ukraine has deployed these advanced British-supplied missiles against objectives inside Russian territory.

Ukrainian officials noted that the Novoshakhtinsk facility acts as one of the primary providers of petrol products in Russia's south and is actively engaged in supplying the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Political Discussions on the Conflict

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

“We had a really good conversation: many details, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a social media platform. “We explored some fresh concepts on how to move toward real peace closer, and it concerns approaches, meetings, and, of course, the timeline.”

Judicial Proceedings Inside the Country

Meanwhile, in a internal matter, a court in Russia has found guilty a activist and critic 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.

The charges are said to be based on an online post Udaltsov shared in support of another group of activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Udaltsov has denied the allegations as fabricated and, after the sentencing, stated his intention to begin a hunger strike in protest.

Foreign Prisoner Case

Russian authorities has stated it is in contact with French authorities regarding the case of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a three-year sentence in Russia and reportedly facing new charges of espionage.

A spokesperson said that Russia has made an offer to France regarding Vinatier, and now “the ball is in France’s court.” French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is closely following the situation, with all state resources working to offer assistance and advocate for his liberation as soon as possible.

Symbolic Reconstruction in Mariupol

A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians sought refuge in its basement, 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.” The reconstruction is part of a broader Moscow effort to showcase its rule in seized territories, a process that includes the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and property seizures from local residents.

The theatre is due to reopen by the month's end with a performance of a Russian fairytale, having been rebuilt almost from scratch over the past two years.