As part of a notable military action, Ukrainian forces have employed British-made Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a key Russian oil refinery. The attack was carried out Thursday, as stated by the country's military command.
The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was said to be hit, with multiple blasts observed at the location. This marks another instance where Ukrainian forces has utilized these advanced British-supplied missiles against targets on Russian territory.
Military spokespersons noted that the Novoshakhtinsk facility acts as one of the main suppliers of petrol products in southern Russia and is actively engaged in providing for the military of the Russian Federation.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that he held productive talks with representatives of ex-President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on possible ways to end the war.
“It was a very productive conversation: many details, 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 concerns approaches, potential summits, and, certainly, the timeline.”
Meanwhile, in a internal matter, a court in Russia has convicted a pro-war activist and opponent of Vladimir Putin on charges of justifying terrorism. Sergei Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front movement, was given to six years in a penal colony.
The charges are said to be based on an article Udaltsov published backing another group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Udaltsov has denied the charges as politically motivated 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 regarding the case of Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar currently serving a three-year sentence in Russia and allegedly facing additional accusations of spying.
A spokesperson stated that Russia has made an offer to France in the case of Vinatier, and now “the ball is in France’s court.” French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is monitoring the situation, with all state resources working to provide consular support and advocate for his release as soon as possible.
A theatre in Mariupol, which was leveled in a devastating bombardment while hundreds of civilians sought refuge in its basement, is set to reopen. Authorities in control have heralded the reconstruction as a symbol of recovery.
However, former actors from the theatre have called the planned opening as “a macabre spectacle.” This project is part of a wider Moscow effort to showcase its rule in seized territories, a process that includes the arrest or exile of critics and property seizures from local residents.
The theatre is expected to open by the month's end with a show of a classic Russian story, having been rebuilt largely anew over the past two years.
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