🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively contemplating sending Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on trade information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions 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 two main Turkish plants to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's sights for over a year as Moscow aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering further information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine killed at least six individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages 11 and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Vostok army group said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.