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

In a significant military action, Kyiv's forces reportedly used British-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike a key Russian oil processing facility. The attack was carried out Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military authorities.

Details of the Strike and Military Significance

The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk oil plant, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts observed at the location. This represents another instance where Ukraine has deployed these advanced British-supplied missiles against objectives on Russian territory.

Ukrainian officials emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk plant acts as one of the main suppliers of petrol products in Russia's south and is directly involved in providing for the military of the Russian Federation.

Diplomatic Developments on the War Front

In a related development, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that he held productive discussions with representatives of ex-President Donald Trump, namely Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The conversation centered on possible ways to end the war.

“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a social media platform. “There are some fresh concepts on how to move toward real peace closer, and it concerns formats, potential summits, and, certainly, the schedule.”

Judicial Proceedings Within Russia

In a parallel domestic matter, a Russian court 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 article Udaltsov published in support of another group of activists charged with forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has rejected the allegations as fabricated and, after the sentencing, reportedly announced to begin a hunger strike in protest.

International Detainee Case

The Kremlin has stated it is in contact with French authorities concerning the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher currently serving a three-year sentence in Russia and reportedly facing additional accusations of spying.

An official 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 closely following the situation, with all state resources mobilised to provide consular support and advocate for his liberation at the earliest opportunity.

Symbolic Reconstruction in Mariupol

A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while many civilians sought refuge in its cellar, is scheduled to reopen. Russian occupation authorities have heralded the reconstruction as a symbol of recovery.

However, previous staff from the theatre have called the reopening as “dancing on bones.” This project is part of a wider Moscow effort to showcase its rule in seized territories, a process accompanied by the detention or expulsion of dissenting voices and property seizures from Ukrainian citizens.

The theatre is expected to open by the end of the month with a performance of a classic Russian story, having been rebuilt largely anew over the last 24 months.