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FormerPresident Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not seriously planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. These purchases amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to control the entire east Donetsk area.

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No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than six people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.