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Ex-President Trump indicated this past Sunday that he was not really planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not currently.” Recent reports had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful operation using its own unmanned aerial vehicles and rockets against Moscow's military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's drone attack hit the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two ships, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Oil Plants Turn to Non-Russian Crude Sources

Turkey's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in response to the latest international sanctions on Moscow, as reported by market sources. The country is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are following New Delhi's lead in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. These purchases amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's crude intake in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand bpd, according to trade data. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Non-Russian Buys

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also increasing acquisitions of non-Russian types of crude, as stated by two sources. Tupras was also likely to soon entirely eliminate imports from Russia at one of its two major domestic plants to continue fuel exports to Europe without violating the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for a statement.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to push back an fierce Russian assault involving a large number of troops, according to Ukraine's top commander. The city, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Recent Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts concluded that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the combat in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his partners for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's assistance. “We've boosted the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the advanced American defense systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukraine's leader singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for thanks.

Moscow's Attacks Claim Innocents, Cut Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and missiles targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than 6 individuals, including 2 minors, and cut power to tens of thousands of residents, authorities said on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the entire east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. The Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.