Ukrainian Forces Hit Moscow's Oil Refinery Using British Storm Shadow Missiles.

In a significant military action, Kyiv's forces reportedly used British-made Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a key Russian oil refinery. The attack was carried out Thursday, as stated by the Ukrainian military authorities.

Attack Particulars and Military Significance

The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was said to be hit, with multiple blasts recorded at the location. This marks another instance where Ukraine has utilized these powerful British-supplied missiles against objectives inside Russian territory.

Military spokespersons noted that the Novoshakhtinsk facility acts as one of the main providers of petrol products in southern Russia and is actively engaged in supplying the military of the Russian Federation.

Diplomatic Developments on the Conflict

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held productive talks with envoys of ex-President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The conversation centered on potential pathways to bring the conflict to a close.

“We had a really good conversation: numerous specifics, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a social media platform. “There are some fresh concepts on how to move toward a genuine peace closer, and it involves approaches, meetings, and, of course, the timeline.”

Judicial Proceedings Inside the Country

Meanwhile, in a domestic matter, a Russian court has found guilty a activist and opponent of Vladimir Putin on charges of justifying terrorism. Sergei Udaltsov, head of the Left Front movement, was given to six years in prison.

The charges are said to be based on an online post Udaltsov shared backing another group of activists accused of forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has denied the charges as fabricated and, following the verdict, stated his intention to begin a hunger strike in defiance.

Foreign Prisoner Situation

Russian authorities indicated it is in contact with French authorities concerning the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year sentence in Russia and allegedly facing new charges of espionage.

An official said that Russia has made an offer 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 state resources mobilised to provide consular support and advocate for his release as soon as possible.

Symbolic Reconstruction in Occupied City

A theatre in Mariupol, which was leveled in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians were sheltering in its cellar, is set to reopen. Russian occupation authorities have promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

However, former actors from the theatre have denounced the reopening as “a macabre spectacle.” The reconstruction is part of a broader Moscow effort to present its rule in occupied Ukraine, a process accompanied by the detention or expulsion of critics and confiscation of assets from local residents.

The theatre is expected to open by the end of the month with a show of a Russian fairytale, following its reconstruction largely anew over the past two years.