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FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not actively contemplating sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Despite Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude made up nearly all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was also expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian offensive comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow aims to control the whole east Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had breached the city's defences, Kyiv reported last week, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s support. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 people, among them two children, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of residents, officials reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit confirmed a number of its personnel were killed in a particular of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.