Kyiv Strikes Moscow's Fuel Plant Using British Storm Shadow Missiles.

In a significant military action, Kyiv's forces have employed long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a key Russian oil processing facility. This strike occurred on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military command.

Details of the Strike and Military Significance

The plant in question, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was said to be hit, with "numerous explosions" observed at the site. This represents not the first instance where Ukrainian forces has deployed these advanced British-supplied missiles to hit targets on Russian soil.

Ukrainian officials noted 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 Conflict

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

“It was a very productive conversation: numerous specifics, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy stated on a messaging platform. “There are some fresh concepts on how to bring real peace closer, and it concerns approaches, meetings, and, certainly, the schedule.”

Judicial Proceedings Inside the Country

Meanwhile, in a domestic matter, a Russian court has convicted a activist and opponent of Vladimir Putin on charges of supporting terrorist activities. Sergei Udaltsov, head of the Left Front movement, was given to six years in prison.

This case reportedly stem from an article Udaltsov published in support of another group of activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Udaltsov has rejected the allegations as fabricated and, following the verdict, stated his intention to begin a hunger strike in defiance.

Foreign Prisoner Case

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

An official said that Russia has presented a proposal to France regarding 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 mobilised to provide consular support and push for his liberation 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 promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

However, previous staff from the theatre have called the reopening as “dancing on bones.” The reconstruction is part of a wider Moscow effort to showcase its rule in occupied Ukraine, a process that includes the arrest or exile of critics and confiscation of assets from Ukrainian citizens.

The theatre is expected to open by the end of the month with a performance of a Russian fairytale, having been rebuilt largely anew over the past two years.