🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for December arrival, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. The company was also likely to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, including two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on the region.