🔗 Share this article

FormerPresident Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier reports had indicated the Pentagon told the White House that American inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to enable such a delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to wage a effective operation using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's armed and key objectives, including oil depots and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian authorities. Nearby airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting purchases of non-Russian crude in reaction to the recent international restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. The country is a significant buyer of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Oil Procurement

A major Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri company SOCAR, has lately purchased multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and additional alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per insiders. This amount to approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative crude, depending on cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, based on trade data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

The other leading Turkish refiner – Tupras – was also raising purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to multiple insiders. Tupras was also expected to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukrainian Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Russian offensive involving a large number of soldiers, according to Ukraine's senior commander. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's crosshairs for more than a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Kyiv said last week, while analysts concluded that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of the combat in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for more air defences to hold off Russia’s strikes, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader specifically thanked Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians, Disrupt Power

Moscow's drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of at least six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted power to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. The attacks disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern army group said some of its personnel were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on the region.