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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but refiners are following India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine killed at least six individuals, including 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys of ages eleven and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok army group said some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.