🔗 Share this article Donald Trump Affirms He Isn't Planning Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Kyiv. Ex-President Trump remarked on Sunday that he was not actively planning sending Ukrainian forces with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. After being asked by a reporter on his plane, he replied, “No, not at the moment.” Earlier accounts had claimed the Pentagon informed the administration that American inventories of Tomahawks were sufficient to allow this transfer. Ukrainian Defense Efforts Continue Without Missile Shortage While Ukraine has been requesting Tomahawk missiles to execute far-reaching strikes against Russian targets, it has nonetheless managed to conduct a effective operation using its domestically-produced unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles against Moscow's military and strategic objectives, such as fuel storage facilities and processing plants. On Sunday, a Ukrainian airstrike targeted the Tuapse oil port on the coast, igniting a fire and damaging two ships, as stated by Moscow officials. Nearby Russian airports in the area also had to be shut down. Turkish Refineries Turn to Non-Russian Oil Sources Turkey's largest oil refining facilities are boosting procurement of alternative crude in response to the latest international restrictions on Moscow, according to industry insiders. Turkey is a major purchaser of oil from Russia, together with Beijing and New Delhi, but refiners are mirroring India's lead in reducing imports. SOCAR Turkey Refinery Expands Oil Procurement A major Turkish refining plants, the STAR refinery, operated by Azeri firm SOCAR, has lately acquired multiple cargoes of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and additional alternative suppliers for December delivery, according to sources. This represent approximately 77,000 to 129,000 barrels daily of alternative crude, varying by cargo size. In contrast, oil from Russia accounted for nearly the entirety of the STAR refinery's supply in recent months, totaling approximately 210 thousand barrels per day, according to trade information. SOCAR declined to comment. Another Major Refiner Also Increasing Non-Russian Buys The other major Turkey's refiner – Tupras – was also increasing purchases of non-Russian grades of crude, as stated by multiple sources. Tupras was furthermore likely to soon completely eliminate Russian crude at a key facility of its primary major Turkish refineries to maintain fuel shipments to the EU without breaching the EU’s incoming sanctions. The refiner did not respond to a request for comment. Ukraine Sends Special Forces to Pokrovsk Kyiv has sent special forces to the heavily contested east city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to repel an fierce Russian assault involving thousands of troops, as stated by Kyiv’s senior military leader. The city, called “the entrance to Donetsk,” is located on a key supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been under Russia's sights for over a year as Moscow pushes to seize the whole east Donetsk region. Recent Developments in Pokrovsk No fewer than 200 Russian soldiers had breached the city's defences, Ukrainian officials said recently, while analysts assessed that additional forces were advancing on its perimeter in a encircling maneuver. In his evening speech on this past Sunday, the Ukrainian president spoke of the fighting in Pokrovsk and “results in the destruction of the occupiers.” Zelenskyy Announces Enhanced Air Defence System Zelenskyy, who has been urging his partners for additional air defense systems to counter Moscow's strikes, announced on Sunday that Ukraine had reinforced its air-defence capabilities with Berlin's assistance. “We've strengthened the Patriot element of our Ukrainian air defence,” he said, referring to the advanced U.S.-made air-defence systems. Not offering additional information, the Ukraine's president singled out Germany and its leader, the German chancellor, for gratitude. Russian Attacks Claim Civilians, Cut Power Russian unmanned aircraft and rockets targeting Ukraine killed at least 6 individuals, including two minors, and disrupted electricity to thousands of households, authorities reported on this past Sunday. Moscow's military attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, according to the office of the country's chief prosecutor. The victims were two boys of ages eleven and 14, said the nation's human rights commissioner. The attacks disrupted power to the whole east Donetsk region as well as nearly 58 thousand homes in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, their local leaders said. The Eastern military unit said a number of its members were killed in one of the Russian attacks on the region.