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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not actively considering sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Russia, as reported by market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukrainian Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia aims to control the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The strikes cut electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.