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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not currently.” Earlier accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for year-end arrival, according to insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly all of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main Turkish plants to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including 2 children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. The attacks cut power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.