🔗 Share this article

Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not actively planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the Pentagon told the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Persist Without Weapon Shortage

Although Ukraine has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to carry out far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and rockets against Russian armed and key objectives, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the port facility on the coast, igniting a fire and harming two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. The country is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative producers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, based on market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of alternative types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was also expected to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary main Turkish plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Moscow's assault comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's top commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in the City

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had breached the city's defences, Kyiv said last week, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Strengthened Air Defence Network

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. The strikes disrupted power to the entire east Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Vostok army group said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.