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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not really considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful campaign using its own drones and missiles against Russian armed and strategic targets, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the recent international restrictions on Moscow, according to market sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative producers for December arrival, according to insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Alternative Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. The company was also expected to soon completely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not providing further information, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and 14, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.