In a major escalation of long-range hostilities, Ukrainian forces utilized British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region on Thursday. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the attack, reporting “numerous explosions” at the facility, which serves as a critical fuel supplier for the Russian Federation’s southern military infrastructure. This strike marks the latest instance of Kyiv using Western precision weaponry to hit targets deep within Russian territory, a move Moscow has repeatedly warned constitutes direct Western involvement in the conflict.
The strike occurred as diplomatic activity intensified in Washington and Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held what he described as “very good” discussions with Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to explore a potential peace framework. Zelenskyy indicated that “new ideas” regarding the timeline and format of a settlement were discussed, coming shortly after he suggested Ukraine might accept limited concessions in a U.S.-led draft plan.
Domestically, Russian authorities continue to enforce strict national security laws. A Russian court recently sentenced Sergei Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front movement, to six years in a maximum-security penal colony for “justifying terrorism.” Udaltsov, a pro-war activist who remains a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, began a hunger strike following the verdict, which he denounced as politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin revealed it has made a formal “proposal” to France concerning Laurent Vinatier, a French scholar currently serving a three-year sentence for collecting military data. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the “ball is now in France’s court,” amid reports that Vinatier may face additional espionage charges carrying a potential 20-year sentence.
In Mariupol, Russian occupation authorities are preparing to reopen the Drama Theatre, which was destroyed during the 2022 siege. Rebuilt by Russian developers, the theatre will stage the fairytale The Scarlet Flower as a symbol of what Moscow calls the city’s “rebirth.” While local officials herald the restoration as a cultural milestone, critics and exiled actors have condemned the move, viewing it as an attempt to overwrite the history of the conflict.
