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FormerPresident Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not seriously considering supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Military Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Russian military and strategic objectives, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, along with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

A major Turkey's refining plants, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to two insiders. The company was also expected to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk

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

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense System

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes disrupted power to the entire eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.