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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really considering providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to market insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at one of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 individuals, including two minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks cut electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.