🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he is not actively considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. The country is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per sources. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault comprising thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. 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 over a year as Russia aims to seize the entire east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 children, and cut electricity to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Eastern army group said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.