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Ex-President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he was not seriously planning sending Ukrainian forces with advanced Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One, he replied, “No, not currently.” Recent accounts had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense informed the White House that U.S. inventories of Tomahawks were adequate to allow such a transfer.

Ukraine's Military Actions Persist Despite Weapon Lack

Although Ukrainian forces has been pursuing Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has still succeeded to conduct a effective campaign using its domestically-produced drones and rockets against Russian military and key objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Kyiv's airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the Black Sea, causing a blaze and harming two vessels, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the region also had to be shut down.

Turkey Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Sources

Turkey's largest oil refineries are boosting purchases of alternative crude in response to the latest western restrictions on Russia, according to industry sources. Turkey is a significant buyer of Russian crude, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but processing companies are mirroring New Delhi's example in cutting back supplies.

STAR Plant Diversifies Oil Procurement

A major Turkish refineries, SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired four cargoes of crude from Iraqi, Kazakh, and other non-Russian suppliers for year-end arrival, as per insiders. This amount to roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of alternative supply, varying by shipment volume. In contrast, oil from Russia made up virtually the entirety of the STAR refinery's crude intake in recent months, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to market data. SOCAR refused to comment.

Tupras Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys

Another major Turkish refiner – Tupras refinery – was also increasing purchases of alternative types of crude, according to two insiders. Tupras was also likely to in the near future completely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its primary main domestic refineries to continue fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. The refiner declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Elite Units to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an effort to repel an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, according to Ukraine's senior military leader. The city, dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply line for the Kyiv's military and has been in Moscow’s crosshairs for over a twelve months as Moscow pushes to control the entire eastern Donetsk region.

Latest Developments in Pokrovsk

No fewer than 200 Russian troops had penetrated Pokrovsk’s defences, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while military experts assessed that others were advancing on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “successes in the destruction of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Reveals Enhanced Air Defence System

Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced on this past Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence network with Berlin's support. “We've boosted the Patriot component of our Ukrainian air defense,” Zelenskyy declared, referring to the sophisticated U.S.-made defense systems. Without providing further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Russian Attacks Kill Civilians, Disrupt Electricity

Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukrainian territory killed no fewer than six individuals, including 2 children, and disrupted electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, according to the representatives of the country's prosecutor general. The children were two boys of ages eleven and fourteen, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner. Russia’s attacks disrupted electricity to the whole eastern Donetsk area as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said some of its personnel were killed in one of the Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk.