Ukraine warfare briefing: Kyiv hits Russian oil refinery with British Storm Shadow missiles

[ad_1] Ukraine used British Storm Shadow missiles to assault a Russian oil refinery on Thursday, the nation’s army stated. The Novoshakhtinsk refinery was hit by the missiles and “quite a few explosions” had been recorded, the Ukrainian armed forces’ basic workers stated in a social media submit. It has already used the British missiles to assault targets inside Russia. The army additionally stated the Novoshakhtinsk plant was one of many foremost suppliers of petrol merchandise in southern Russia “and is straight concerned in supplying the Russian Federation’s armed forces”.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that he had “superb” talks with Donald Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about finish the warfare. “It was a extremely good dialog: many particulars, good concepts, that we mentioned,” the Ukrainian president stated on Telegram. “There are some new concepts on convey the true peace nearer, and it issues codecs, conferences, and, actually, the timeline.” Zelenskyy’s submit got here a day after he stated Ukraine had received some limited concessions within the newest model of a US-led draft peace plan, which is being reviewed by Moscow.

A court docket in Russia has convicted a pro-war activist and critic of Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to 6 years in jail . Sergei Udaltsov, the chief of the Left Entrance motion that opposes the Russian president and is affiliated with the Communist get together, was arrested final 12 months. In line with Russian impartial information web site Mediazona, the fees in opposition to him stem from an article Udaltsov posted on-line in assist of one other group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. These activists had been convicted earlier this month and given sentences from 16 to 22 years in jail. Udaltsov has rejected the fees in opposition to him as fabricated. On Thursday, he denounced the verdict as “shameful” and stated he was happening a starvation strike, Mediazona reported.

The Kremlin has stated it's in touch with the French authorities over the destiny of a French political scholar serving a three-year sentence in Russia and reportedly going through new expenses of espionage. Russia has made “a proposal to the French” relating to Laurent Vinatier, arrested in Moscow final 12 months and convicted of collecting military information , and “the ball is now in France’s court docket”, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters on Thursday. He refused to supply particulars. French president Emmanuel Macron is following Vinatier’s state of affairs carefully, his workplace stated in an announcement. A French international ministry spokesperson stated all authorities companies had been totally mobilised to supply consular assist to Vinatier and push for his liberation as quickly as attainable

The Mariupol Drama Theatre that was destroyed in a 2022 Russian airstrike whereas lots of of civilians had been sheltering in its basement is to open its doorways once more , with Russian occupation authorities heralding the reconstruction as an indication of renewal, whereas former actors on the theatre denounced the reopening as “dancing on bones”. The Kremlin has made the reconstruction of Mariupol a calling card of its rule in occupied Ukraine, however Moscow’s oversight is accompanied by arrests or exile of critics, together with property seizures which have stripped 1000's of Ukrainians of flats they legally owned, report Shaun Walker, Pjotr Sauer and Artem Mazhulin . The Mariupol theatre is because of reopen by the tip of the month with a efficiency of Russian fairytale The Scarlet Flower after being rebuilt virtually from scratch over the previous two years.