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Ex-President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that he is not actively planning supplying Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles. In response to a query by a reporter aboard his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent accounts had indicated the U.S. Department of Defense informed the administration that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were ample to enable such a delivery.

Ukrainian Military Efforts Persist Without Missile Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been seeking Tomahawk missiles to execute long-range attacks against Russian targets, it has nonetheless succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and key targets, including fuel storage facilities and processing plants. This past Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, according to Russian officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Crude Supplies

Turkey's largest oil refineries are increasing purchases of non-Russian crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to market sources. The country is a significant purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and India, but refiners are mirroring New Delhi's example in reducing supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azerbaijani company SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple shipments of crude from Iraqi, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, according to sources. This amount to approximately tens of thousands of barrels per day (bpd) of alternative supply, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the plant's crude intake in recent months, amounting to approximately 210,000 bpd, based on market information. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Likewise Boosting Alternative Buys

Another leading Turkey's oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative grades of crude, as stated by multiple insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future entirely phase out imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without violating the EU’s incoming restrictions. Tupras did not respond to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Sends Elite Units to Pokrovsk

Ukraine has deployed elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an intense Moscow's assault comprising thousands of soldiers, according to Kyiv’s senior military leader. Pokrovsk, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Kyiv's military and has been under Moscow’s sights for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to seize the entire eastern Donetsk area.

Latest Updates in Pokrovsk

No fewer than two hundred Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were closing in on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his nightly speech on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the fighting in the city and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defense Network

The president, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Russia’s strikes, stated on Sunday that the country had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, referring to the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Without offering additional details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude.

Russian Attacks Kill Innocents, Cut Electricity

Russian drones and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, among them two children, and cut power to thousands of residents, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Russian forces struck the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of the country's prosecutor general. The children were male minors aged 11 and fourteen, said Ukraine’s ombudsman. Russia’s strikes disrupted power to the whole eastern Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their governors said. Ukraine’s Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.