🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not seriously considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for December delivery, according to insiders. These purchases represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was furthermore likely to in the near future completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has deployed special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key logistical line for the Ukrainian military and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

At least 200 Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering further information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 people, including two minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged eleven and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. The Vostok army group said a number of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.