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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not seriously planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in reducing imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore expected to in the near future entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, including 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.