🔗 Share this article

Ukraine has announced the start of mass production for a new domestically developed defensive UAV to strengthen its air defences. Three initial manufacturers have started production, with 11 more preparing to set up production lines, the defence ministry stated on Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Proven in Battlefield Situations

The drones utilize a domestically developed system called “Octopus” engineered to neutralize Shahed drones. The system has been tested in actual battle and demonstrated successful “during nighttime, amid electronic warfare and flying low,” officials stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set a target of manufacturing up to 1,000 defensive drones each day.

Recent Assault on Kyiv Described as Calculated

The Ukrainian president characterized Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine as “deliberate, premeditated and brutal” after six individuals lost their lives and many others injured in a series of nocturnal attacks across Kyiv. Alert systems sounded in Kyiv just after 12 AM this past Friday, with Shahed drones soon detected overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

Zelenskyy reported the nation was targeted by 430 drones and 18 missiles. The deceased were inside their residences in an apartment building on the capital's left bank during the strike. Numerous of additional structures sustained damage, including the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Protest After Embassy Damage

The Azerbaijani government announced it delivered a strong protest to the Russian ambassador on Friday after the embassy damage. The blast from a Russian Iskander missile demolished a section of the embassy’s perimeter wall and caused serious damage to the embassy grounds, officials from Baku stated. No one injured, and an official representative confirmed the Kyiv embassy was maintaining operations.

Moscow's Glide Bomb Manufacturing Experiences Major Expansion

Russia plans to produce as many as 120,000 guided aerial bombs this year, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official disclosed, among them 500 of an innovative, longer-range version that can reach additional urban centers. Russian forces were firing hundreds of aerial bombs daily, with the previous month's daily average standing at about 170, based on official military statistics.

Ukrainian Strikes Target Moscow's Energy Infrastructure

Russia’s maritime terminal of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended crude shipments on Friday – equivalent to 2% of worldwide oil production – after a Ukrainian missile and drone attack. Ukraine’s general staff said its military had launched domestically produced missiles and used various types of attack UAVs in the attack on Novorossiysk “as part of efforts to diminish the strategic capabilities of the Russian aggressor.”

Ukrainian forces separately struck a processing plant in the Saratov area and an energy depot in the adjacent Engels region during the night.

Global Sanctions Impact Russian Oil Producer

The number two energy company Lukoil announced on Friday it has been in talks with interested parties regarding its international holdings following recent sanctions from the UK and the US and failure of an agreement with the Gunvor trading house. “Final arrangements will be announced once the final agreements are completed and the necessary regulatory approvals are secured,” the company commented.

Zelenskyy Schedules Diplomatic Trip to Spanish Capital

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the city of Madrid, Madrid, on Tuesday to meet with parliament members a day after his trip to France, the chamber of deputies disclosed. The Ukrainian president would meet deputies from both chambers of parliament throughout his stay, an official announcement said.