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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and harming two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Russia, according to industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per sources. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced American air-defence systems. Not offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 people, among them two minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks cut power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on the region.