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Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not really contemplating providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. When questioned by a reporter on Air Force One, he responded, “No, not really.” Earlier accounts had claimed the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to allow this transfer.

Ukraine's Defense Efforts Persist Despite Weapon Shortage

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range attacks against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a effective operation using its domestically-produced drones and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike hit the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be closed.

Turkey Oil Plants Turn to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, as reported by industry insiders. Turkey is a major buyer of oil from Russia, together with China and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing imports.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Sources

A major Turkey's refining plants, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has lately purchased four shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other alternative suppliers for year-end delivery, as per sources. This amount to roughly 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of non-Russian crude, varying by cargo size. By comparison, Russian crude made up virtually all of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210 thousand bpd, based on market data. SOCAR declined to provide a statement.

Tupras Likewise Increasing Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkish oil processor – Tupras – was additionally increasing purchases of alternative grades of crude, according to multiple insiders. The company was furthermore likely to in the near future completely phase out Russian crude at one of its primary main domestic refineries to maintain fuel exports to the EU without violating the European Union's incoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Ukraine has sent special forces to the embattled east city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Russian assault comprising a large number of troops, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for over a year as Russia pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's troops had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts concluded that others were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “results in the elimination of the occupiers.”

Ukrainian President Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his allies for additional air defences to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on this past Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense capabilities with Berlin's support. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Without providing additional details, the Ukrainian president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and missiles fired at Ukrainian territory killed at least 6 individuals, including 2 minors, and disrupted power to tens of thousands of households, officials said on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages eleven and fourteen, stated the nation's ombudsman. Russia’s attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as almost 58 thousand households in the south Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit confirmed a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on Dnipropetrovsk.