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FormerPresident Trump stated on Sunday that he is not actively planning sending Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not currently.” Earlier reports had suggested the Pentagon told the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a transfer.

Ukrainian Military Actions Continue Without Weapon Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to wage a successful campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key objectives, such as oil depots and refineries. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike hit the port facility on the coast, causing a blaze and damaging two vessels, according to Russian officials. Adjacent airfields in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Turkey's biggest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of non-Russian crude in reaction to the latest international sanctions on Russia, according to market insiders. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Plant Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijani firm SOCAR, has recently purchased multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakh, and additional non-Russian producers for December delivery, according to sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in October and September, totaling approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR declined to comment.

Tupras Also Boosting Alternative Purchases

Another leading Turkey's refiner – Tupras refinery – was additionally increasing purchases of non-Russian types of crude, according to two insiders. The company was furthermore likely to soon completely phase out imports from Russia at one of its two major Turkish refineries to maintain petroleum shipments to Europe without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a request for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the heavily contested eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Russian assault involving thousands of soldiers, as stated by Ukraine's top military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key logistical line for the Kyiv's army and has been in Moscow’s sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in the City

No fewer than two hundred Russian soldiers had breached Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said last week, while military experts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its outskirts in a encircling movement. In his nightly speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the destruction of the occupiers.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System

The president, who has been urging his allies for additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air defense network with Germany’s support. “We've boosted the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Not providing additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Berlin and its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for gratitude.

Russian Strikes Claim Civilians, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and missiles fired at Ukraine took the lives of no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the representatives of the country's chief prosecutor. The children were male minors of ages 11 and fourteen, stated the nation's human rights commissioner. Russia’s strikes disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders announced. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.