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FormerPresident Donald Trump stated this past Sunday that he is not seriously planning supplying Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Recent accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Continue Despite Missile Lack

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's armed and key objectives, including fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack hit the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are increasing procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western sanctions on Russia, as reported by industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Sends Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the whole east Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported last week, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukraine took the lives of at least 6 people, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, officials said on Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were two boys of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes cut electricity to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors announced. The Vostok army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.