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Ex-President Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to sources. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main Turkish plants to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in the City

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, among them 2 children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.