Ukrainian Forces Hit Russian Fuel Plant Using UK-supplied Storm Shadow Missiles.

In a significant escalation, Ukrainian forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a key Russian oil refinery. The attack was carried out Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military command.

Attack Particulars and Military Significance

The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts recorded at the site. This marks not the first instance where Ukraine has utilized these advanced British-supplied missiles against objectives inside Russian soil.

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

Diplomatic Developments on the War Front

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that he held productive talks with envoys of former US President Donald Trump, namely Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The conversation centered on potential pathways to end the war.

“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy stated on a social media platform. “There are some fresh concepts on how to move toward real peace closer, and it concerns approaches, potential summits, 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 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 shared in support of another group of activists accused of 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 defiance.

International Detainee Situation

The Kremlin indicated it is engaged with French authorities regarding the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar currently serving a prison term in Russia and allegedly facing additional accusations of espionage.

A spokesperson said that Russia has made an offer to France in the case of Vinatier, and now “it is in France’s court.” French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is monitoring the situation, with all government services working to offer assistance and push for his release at the earliest opportunity.

Controversial Reopening in Mariupol

A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a devastating bombardment while many civilians sought refuge in its cellar, is scheduled to reopen. Russian occupation authorities have promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

Conversely, former actors from the theatre have denounced the planned opening as “a macabre spectacle.” This project is part of a wider Kremlin effort to present its rule in seized territories, a process that includes the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and confiscation of assets from Ukrainian citizens.

It is due to reopen by the month's end with a show of a Russian fairytale, following its reconstruction almost from scratch over the past two years.