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FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources

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

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative producers for December delivery, as per sources. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing further information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.