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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really planning sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a journalist aboard Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Persist Despite Missile Shortage

While Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russia, it has nonetheless managed to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Moscow's military and strategic targets, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, together with China and India, but refiners are following New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Boosting Non-Russian Buys

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by two insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to continue petroleum exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukrainian Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Russia aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had penetrated the city's defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Russia’s strikes, stated on this past Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Germany’s assistance. “We've strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defense,” he declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Moscow's drones and rockets fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them 2 minors, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged 11 and fourteen, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The strikes cut power to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its members were killed in one of the enemy attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.