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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he is not really planning providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Despite Weapon Lack

While Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching attacks against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful campaign using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack struck the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, according to Russian authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of Russian crude, along with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Procurement

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December arrival, according to insiders. These purchases amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. By comparison, oil from Russia made up nearly all of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its primary main domestic refineries to continue fuel shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow aims to control the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We have boosted the U.S.-made Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy declared, mentioning the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering further information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Germany and its leader, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles targeting Ukraine killed no fewer than 6 individuals, including two minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's prosecutor general. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes disrupted electricity to the whole east Donetsk area as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.