Ukrainian Forces Hit Moscow's Fuel Plant With UK-supplied Storm Shadow Missiles.

In a significant escalation, Kyiv's forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike a major Russian oil refinery. This strike occurred on Thursday, as stated by the country's military authorities.

Attack Particulars and Military Significance

The plant in question, the Novoshakhtinsk oil plant, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts recorded at the location. This marks not the first instance where Ukrainian forces has utilized these advanced British-supplied missiles to hit targets inside Russian soil.

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

Political Discussions on the Conflict

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held productive talks with representatives of ex-President Donald Trump, namely Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on potential pathways to end the war.

“We had a very productive conversation: many details, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a messaging platform. “There are some new ideas on how to bring a genuine peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the schedule.”

Legal Crackdown Inside the Country

In a parallel 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 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 rejected the charges as fabricated and, after the sentencing, reportedly announced to go on a hunger strike in defiance.

International Detainee Situation

The Kremlin indicated it is engaged with French officials regarding the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar currently serving a prison term in Russia and allegedly facing new charges of spying.

An official stated that Russia has made an offer to France regarding Vinatier, and now “it is in France’s court.” President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is closely following the situation, with all government services mobilised to provide consular support and push for his release at the earliest opportunity.

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 scheduled to reopen. Russian occupation authorities have heralded the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery.

However, former actors from the theatre have called the planned opening as “dancing on bones.” This project is part of a broader Kremlin effort to present its administration in seized territories, a process accompanied by the arrest or exile of critics and property seizures from local residents.

It is expected to open by the month's end with a performance of a classic Russian story, following its reconstruction almost from scratch over the past two years.