In a significant escalation, Kyiv's forces have employed long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a major Russian oil processing facility. This strike occurred on Thursday, as stated by the country's military command.
The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with "numerous explosions" recorded at the location. This marks another instance where Ukrainian forces has utilized these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit targets inside Russian territory.
Military spokespersons emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk plant acts as one of the main suppliers of fuel products in Russia's south and is directly involved in providing for the military of the Russian Federation.
In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held “very good” 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: many details, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a social media platform. “We explored some fresh concepts on how to bring a genuine peace closer, and it involves approaches, meetings, and, of course, the schedule.”
In a parallel domestic matter, a court in Russia has found guilty a pro-war activist and opponent of Vladimir Putin on charges of supporting terrorist activities. 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 shared backing another group of activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Udaltsov has rejected the charges as fabricated and, following the verdict, reportedly announced to go on a hunger strike in defiance.
The Kremlin has stated it is in contact with French authorities concerning the case of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a prison term in Russia and reportedly facing new charges of spying.
An official stated that Russia has presented a proposal 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.
A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians were sheltering in its basement, is scheduled to open its doors again. Russian occupation authorities have heralded the reconstruction as a symbol of recovery.
Conversely, former actors from the theatre have called the reopening as “a macabre spectacle.” The reconstruction is part of a broader Moscow effort to showcase its administration in occupied Ukraine, a process that includes the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and property seizures from local residents.
The theatre is due to reopen by the month's end with a performance of a Russian fairytale, having been rebuilt largely anew over the past two years.
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