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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not really planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two main Turkish plants to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing further information, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and cut power to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Eastern military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.