🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not seriously planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its own drones and missiles against Russian military and key targets, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and harming two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but processing companies are following India's lead in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Boosting Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major domestic plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.