Ukrainian forces have carried out a significant strike on a major Russian oil refinery using British-supplied long-range missiles, marking a continued escalation of attacks on Moscow's critical energy infrastructure.
Storm Shadow Missile Attack on Key Refinery
The Ukrainian military confirmed on Thursday that it successfully targeted the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region using Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by the United Kingdom. Military officials stated that multiple explosions were recorded and the facility was successfully hit.
Ukrainian authorities described the plant as one of southern Russia's primary producers of petrol products and asserted it was directly involved in supplying fuel to the Russian armed forces fighting in Ukraine. The strike represents a continued campaign by Kyiv to degrade Russia's military logistics and oil revenue streams.
The UK government authorised Ukraine to deploy the Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia last year, with the first confirmed use of the weapons reported in November.
Escalating Drone Campaign Across Russia
In a separate but coordinated series of attacks, Ukrainian long-range drones struck additional energy targets deep inside Russian territory overnight.
Drones hit oil product storage tanks at the port of Temryuk in the Krasnodar region, sparking a significant fire. Russian emergency services reported that two tanks were engulfed, with flames spreading across approximately 2,000 square metres.
In a notably long-range operation, Ukrainian drones also struck a gas processing plant in Orenburg, roughly 1,400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. These attacks demonstrate Kyiv's growing capability to project force and target economic assets far beyond the front lines.
Diplomatic Moves and Peace Proposals
Amid the military strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at potential progress towards a peace deal following discussions with US officials on Christmas Day.
Zelensky reported a really good conversation with President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The talks came just a day after the Ukrainian leader unveiled an updated 20-point peace proposal.
A key element of the new plan, as reported, involves a potential willingness from Kyiv to withdraw troops from the Donbas region to create a demilitarised zone, provided Russian forces also pull back. Zelensky suggested the contested industrial heartland could become a free economic zone, though governance details remain unclear. The proposal would require a Ukrainian referendum to be enacted.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin commented on the case of French political scholar Laurent Vinatier, imprisoned in Russia on charges of collecting military information. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow had made an offer to Paris regarding Vinatier's fate and that the ball is now in France's court.
In other developments, Pope Leo XIV used his first Christmas sermon to call for sincere and respectful dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, while Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea near Polish airspace.
