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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 an additional eleven getting ready to establish production lines, the defence ministry stated on Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Tested in Combat Situations

These UAVs utilize a nationally created system called “Octopus” designed to neutralize Iranian-made drones. This technology underwent testing in combat and proved effective “at night, under jamming and flying low,” officials stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of manufacturing up to 1,000 defensive drones daily.

Recent Assault on the Capital Described as Deliberate

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Moscow's most recent assault on Ukraine as “intentional, premeditated and brutal” after six people lost their lives and dozens injured in a series of night-time strikes across Kyiv. Air raid sirens sounded in the capital just after midnight this past Friday, with enemy UAVs soon heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

Zelenskyy stated the country was targeted by hundreds of UAVs and 18 missiles. Those killed were at home in a block of flats on the capital's left bank during the strike. Numerous of additional structures sustained damage, among them the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan.

International Protest After Diplomatic Compound Damage

Azerbaijan announced it issued a formal objection to the Russian ambassador this past Friday following the destruction at its diplomatic compound. The blast from a Moscow's missile demolished a section of the embassy’s perimeter wall and resulted in significant destruction to the embassy grounds, officials from Baku stated. No one was hurt, and a ministry spokesperson confirmed the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was maintaining operations.

Russian Glide Bomb Manufacturing Sees Major Expansion

Russia plans to produce up to 120,000 glide bombs in the current year, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official disclosed, among them 500 of a new, extended-range model that can reach additional urban centers. Moscow's military have been launching hundreds of aerial bombs daily, with the previous month's daily average standing at approximately 170, based on defence ministry data.

Kyiv's Strikes Target Russian Oil Facilities

Moscow's maritime terminal of the port city temporarily suspended crude shipments this past Friday – equivalent to two percent of global supply – after a Ukrainian missile and drone attack. Military commanders in Kyiv stated its forces had launched domestically produced missiles and used multiple kinds of attack UAVs in the attack on Novorossiysk “as part of efforts to diminish the strategic capabilities of the invading force.”

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

International Sanctions Affect Russian Oil Producer

The number two energy company Lukoil announced on Friday it has been in talks with potential buyers regarding its international holdings after recent restrictions from the UK and the US and the collapse of an agreement with the Gunvor trading house. “The specific deal are to be disclosed once conclusive negotiations are completed and the necessary regulatory approvals are secured,” the company stated.

Ukrainian President Plans Diplomatic Trip to Spain

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to confer with lawmakers a day after his visit to Paris, Spanish parliamentary officials disclosed. The Ukrainian president will convene with representatives from all houses of parliament throughout his stay, the Spanish statement confirmed.