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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really considering sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's armed and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary major domestic refineries to continue fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive involving thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while analysts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he declared, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed at least six people, among them two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and fourteen, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on the region.