Ukraine has used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to attack a Russian oil refinery, the Ukrainian military confirmed on Thursday. The Novoshakhtinsk refinery in southern Russia was struck, with 'numerous explosions' reported by the Ukrainian armed forces' general staff. The facility is a key supplier of petrol products to the Russian military, according to Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held 'very good' talks with envoys of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, regarding ending the war. Zelenskyy described the discussions as productive, noting 'new ideas' on formats, meetings, and timelines for achieving peace. The comments follow reports that Ukraine secured limited concessions in a US-led draft peace plan under review by Moscow.
In Russia, a court sentenced pro-war activist Sergei Udaltsov to six years in prison for justifying terrorism. Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front movement, was convicted over an online article supporting activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. He denounced the verdict as 'shameful' and announced a hunger strike.
The Kremlin confirmed it is in contact with French authorities regarding Laurent Vinatier, a French scholar serving a three-year sentence in Russia and facing new espionage charges. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia has made an offer to France, with the ball now in Paris's court. French President Emmanuel Macron is closely monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, the Mariupol Drama Theatre, destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike while sheltering civilians, is set to reopen by the end of the month with a performance of The Scarlet Flower. Russian occupation authorities tout the reconstruction as a symbol of renewal, but former actors have condemned it as 'dancing on bones'. The rebuilding is part of Moscow's broader effort to showcase its control over occupied Ukrainian territory.
