🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really considering sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 bpd, according to market information. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its two main Turkish plants to maintain fuel exports to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot component of our national air defense,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not providing further details, the Ukrainian president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Power

Russian drones and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six people, including two minors, and cut power to thousands of households, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages eleven and 14, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58 thousand 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 strikes on the region.