🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not really planning supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and harming two ships, according to Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Sources

Ankara's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, as per sources. This represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was also raising acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by multiple sources. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely phase out Russian crude at a key facility of its two major domestic refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's troops had breached the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said last week, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least six individuals, among them 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. The attacks disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.