🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not seriously contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had claimed the U.S. Department of Defense told the administration that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Continue Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless succeeded to wage a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian armed and strategic targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two vessels, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the recent western sanctions on Moscow, according to market sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's lead in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. In contrast, Russian crude accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was additionally increasing acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, according to two sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two main domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to Europe without breaching the European Union's upcoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical route for the Kyiv's army and has been in Moscow’s sights for more than a year as Moscow aims to control the entire east Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Kyiv said recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence Network

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s strikes, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the Patriot element of our national air defense,” he said, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Kill Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of at least 6 people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, stated Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.