🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he is not seriously contemplating supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in cutting back imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other alternative suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. These purchases represent approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was also expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its two major Turkish plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been in Russia's sights for over a year as Russia aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's assistance. “We have boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, among them 2 children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.