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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really considering sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Continue Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's top commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.