🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but processing companies are following New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two sources. The company was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main domestic refineries to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on the region.