🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not seriously planning providing Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on his plane, he replied, “No, not really.” Earlier reports had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russian targets, it has still succeeded to conduct a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Russian armed and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Turn to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Russia, as reported by market insiders. The country is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following India's example in cutting back imports.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative producers for year-end delivery, according to insiders. This represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for virtually all of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR refused to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore expected to soon entirely eliminate Russian crude at one of its primary main Turkish refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian assault comprising a large number of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

At least 200 Moscow's soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv reported recently, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the sophisticated American defense systems. Without offering additional information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 people, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and 14, stated the nation's ombudsman. The attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.