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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked this past Sunday that he was not really planning supplying Ukraine with advanced Tomahawk missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he responded, “No, not really.” Recent reports had indicated the Pentagon told the administration that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable this delivery.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to carry out long-range attacks against Russia, it has still managed to wage a successful campaign using its own drones and rockets against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and refineries. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike struck the port facility on the coast, igniting a blaze and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Shift to Non-Russian Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are boosting procurement of alternative crude in reaction to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a significant purchaser of Russian crude, together with China and India, but processing companies are mirroring India's example in reducing supplies.

STAR Refinery Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. These purchases amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 barrels per day, according to market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Tupras Also Increasing Alternative Purchases

The other major Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was also raising acquisitions of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was also likely to soon completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary major Turkish plants to continue fuel exports to the EU without breaching the European Union's incoming restrictions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Kyiv has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Moscow's assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s top military leader. Pokrovsk, called “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Moscow’s crosshairs for more than a year as Moscow aims to seize the whole eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Developments in the City

At least two hundred Russian troops had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials said recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling movement. In his evening speech on Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his partners for more air defences to hold off Moscow's attacks, announced on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our national air defence,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced American air-defence systems. Without providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and cut electricity to thousands of residents, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, said the representatives of Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The victims were male minors aged eleven and fourteen, said the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 homes in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok army group confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.