🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key targets, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a fire and damaging two ships, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and other non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's top military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said 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 spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.