🔗 Share this article Kyiv Strikes Moscow's Fuel Plant With British Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles. In a significant escalation, Ukrainian forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike a major Russian oil refinery. This strike was carried out Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military authorities. Details of the Strike and Strategic Impact The plant in question, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts observed at the site. This represents not the first instance where Ukraine has deployed these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit objectives on Russian territory. Military spokespersons emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk plant acts as one of the main providers of petrol products in southern Russia and is directly involved in supplying the military of the Russian Federation. Political Discussions on the Conflict Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held “very good” talks with envoys of ex-President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on potential pathways to end the war. “It was a really good conversation: numerous specifics, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy stated on a social media platform. “We explored some new ideas on how to move toward a genuine peace closer, and it involves approaches, potential summits, and, of course, the schedule.” Judicial Proceedings Within Russia Meanwhile, in a internal matter, a Russian court has found guilty a activist and critic 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 online post Udaltsov published in support of another group of activists charged with forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has denied the allegations as fabricated and, following the verdict, reportedly announced to begin a hunger strike in defiance. Foreign Prisoner Case Russian authorities has stated it is engaged with French officials regarding the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a prison term in Russia and allegedly facing new charges of espionage. An official said 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 monitoring the situation, with all state resources working to provide consular support and push for his liberation as soon as possible. Controversial Reopening in Occupied City A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians sought refuge in its cellar, is scheduled to reopen. Authorities in control have promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery. However, previous staff from the theatre have called the planned opening as “dancing on bones.” The reconstruction is part of a broader Moscow effort to showcase its rule in seized territories, a process accompanied by the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and confiscation of assets from Ukrainian citizens. It is due to reopen by the end of the month with a show of a Russian fairytale, having been rebuilt largely anew over the past two years.
In a significant escalation, Ukrainian forces reportedly used long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike a major Russian oil refinery. This strike was carried out Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military authorities. Details of the Strike and Strategic Impact The plant in question, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts observed at the site. This represents not the first instance where Ukraine has deployed these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit objectives on Russian territory. Military spokespersons emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk plant acts as one of the main providers of petrol products in southern Russia and is directly involved in supplying the military of the Russian Federation. Political Discussions on the Conflict Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held “very good” talks with envoys of ex-President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on potential pathways to end the war. “It was a really good conversation: numerous specifics, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy stated on a social media platform. “We explored some new ideas on how to move toward a genuine peace closer, and it involves approaches, potential summits, and, of course, the schedule.” Judicial Proceedings Within Russia Meanwhile, in a internal matter, a Russian court has found guilty a activist and critic 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 online post Udaltsov published in support of another group of activists charged with forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has denied the allegations as fabricated and, following the verdict, reportedly announced to begin a hunger strike in defiance. Foreign Prisoner Case Russian authorities has stated it is engaged with French officials regarding the fate of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a prison term in Russia and allegedly facing new charges of espionage. An official said 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 monitoring the situation, with all state resources working to provide consular support and push for his liberation as soon as possible. Controversial Reopening in Occupied City A theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians sought refuge in its cellar, is scheduled to reopen. Authorities in control have promoted the rebuilding as a symbol of recovery. However, previous staff from the theatre have called the planned opening as “dancing on bones.” The reconstruction is part of a broader Moscow effort to showcase its rule in seized territories, a process accompanied by the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and confiscation of assets from Ukrainian citizens. It is due to reopen by the end of the month with a show of a Russian fairytale, having been rebuilt largely anew over the past two years.