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Ex-President Trump stated this past Sunday that he was not seriously considering providing Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. When questioned by a reporter on his plane, he answered, “No, not really.” Recent reports had suggested the U.S. Department of Defense told the White House that American stockpiles of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this delivery.

Ukrainian Defense Actions Persist Without Missile Shortage

While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to conduct long-range strikes against Russia, it has still managed to conduct a successful operation using its own drones and missiles against Moscow's armed and strategic targets, including oil depots and refineries. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack struck the port facility on the Black Sea, causing a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow authorities. Adjacent airfields in the area also had to be closed.

Turkish Refineries Shift to Alternative Oil Supplies

Ankara's biggest oil refineries are increasing procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest western sanctions on Moscow, according to industry sources. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, along with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are following India's example in cutting back supplies.

SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Crude Sources

One of the largest Turkey's refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azeri firm SOCAR, has recently acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional non-Russian suppliers for December delivery, as per insiders. These purchases represent roughly tens of thousands of barrels daily of non-Russian supply, depending on shipment volume. By comparison, Russian crude made up nearly the entirety of the plant's supply in October and September, amounting to about 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade data. SOCAR refused to provide a statement.

Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Purchases

Another major Turkish oil processor – Tupras refinery – was also increasing acquisitions of alternative types of crude, as stated by two insiders. Tupras was also expected to in the near future entirely eliminate imports from Russia at a key facility of its two major Turkish plants to continue petroleum shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s upcoming sanctions. Tupras declined to comment to a inquiry for comment.

Ukraine Deploys Special Forces to Eastern City

Kyiv has sent elite troops to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Moscow's offensive comprising thousands of troops, according to Kyiv’s top military leader. The city, dubbed “the entrance to Donetsk,” lies on a key supply line for the Kyiv's army and has been under Russia's sights for more than a year as Russia pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk area.

Recent Updates in the City

No fewer than 200 Moscow's soldiers had penetrated the city's defensive lines, Ukrainian officials reported recently, while analysts assessed that others were closing in on its perimeter in a pincer-shaped movement. In his evening address on this past Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the combat in the city and “successes in the elimination of the invading forces.”

Zelenskyy Announces Strengthened Air Defense System

Zelenskyy, who has been pushing his allies for more air defense systems to hold off Moscow's attacks, stated on Sunday that the country had strengthened its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We have strengthened the U.S.-made Patriot component of our national air defence,” he said, mentioning the sophisticated American air-defence systems. Not providing further information, the Ukraine's president specifically thanked Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for thanks.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Innocents, Disrupt Electricity

Moscow's unmanned aircraft and rockets fired at Ukrainian territory took the lives of no fewer than 6 individuals, including two children, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of households, officials reported on Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, said the office of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys aged eleven and 14, said the nation'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 local leaders said. Ukraine’s Vostok military unit said a number of its members were killed in a particular of the enemy strikes on the region.