🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Donald Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not seriously considering sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not at the moment.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for December arrival, according to insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in October and September, totaling about 210,000 bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also expected to in the near future completely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to maintain fuel exports to the EU without violating the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising thousands of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s senior commander. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv reported last week, while military experts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Germany’s assistance. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six people, including two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.