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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not actively contemplating sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, according to sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic plants to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six individuals, including two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.