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FormerPresident Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not actively considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a journalist on Air Force One, he answered, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were adequate to enable this delivery.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Continue Despite Missile Lack

Although Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Russian military and strategic objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a blaze and harming two vessels, according to Moscow officials. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's largest oil refining facilities are boosting purchases of alternative crude in reaction to the recent western restrictions on Moscow, as reported by market insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of Russian crude, together with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

One of the largest Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian producers for December arrival, as per insiders. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for virtually the entirety of the plant's supply in recent months, amounting to approximately 210 thousand bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Another Major Refiner Also Boosting Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was additionally raising acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. The company was also likely to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic plants to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising a large number of troops, as stated by Ukraine's senior commander. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major logistical route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Russia's sights for over a twelve months as Russia pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Recent Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Kyiv said recently, while military experts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped maneuver. In his nightly address on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

The president, who has been pushing his partners for additional air defences to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he declared, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made defense systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's leader specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than six people, among them two children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on this past Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The children were male minors of ages 11 and 14, said the nation's ombudsman. The strikes cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed some of its members were killed in one of the Russian strikes on the region.