🔗 Share this article

Ukraine has announced the start of mass production for an innovative domestically developed defensive UAV to enhance its aerial protection systems. Three initial manufacturers have begun manufacturing, with 11 more getting ready to establish assembly lines, Ukrainian military officials announced on Friday.

Advanced 'Octopus' System Proven in Combat Conditions

The drones will be based on a nationally created technology called “Octopus” engineered to intercept Iranian-made drones. The system has been tested in combat and demonstrated effective “at night, amid electronic warfare and flying low,” officials stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of manufacturing up to 1,000 defensive drones each day.

Latest Assault on the Capital Characterized as Deliberate

The Ukrainian president described Moscow's most recent assault on Ukraine as “deliberate, premeditated and brutal” following six people were killed and many others wounded in a series of nocturnal attacks throughout Kyiv. Air raid sirens activated in Kyiv shortly after 12 AM this past Friday, with enemy UAVs soon heard overhead and intensive defensive fire from Ukrainian air defences.

The president reported the nation was hit by 430 drones and multiple missiles. Those killed had been inside their residences in a block of flats on Kyiv’s left bank during the strike. Numerous of additional structures sustained damage, including the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Objection After Embassy Damage

Azerbaijan announced it delivered a formal objection to Moscow's diplomatic representative this past Friday after the embassy damage. An explosion from a Moscow's missile demolished a section of the compound's boundary wall and resulted in significant destruction to the diplomatic compound, officials from Baku stated. No one injured, and a ministry spokesperson said the Kyiv embassy was maintaining operations.

Russian Aerial Bomb Production Experiences Major Expansion

Russia plans to produce up to 120,000 glide bombs this year, a high-ranking Ukrainian defense official said, among them 500 of a new, longer-range version that can reach more towns and cities. Russian forces have been launching hundreds of aerial bombs daily, with the previous month's average daily usage standing at approximately 170, based on defence ministry data.

Kyiv's Attacks Target Moscow's Energy Infrastructure

Russia’s maritime terminal of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended oil exports on Friday – representing 2% of global supply – following a strike by Ukrainian forces. Military commanders in Kyiv said its forces had launched Neptune cruise missiles and used various types of strike drones in the assault against Novorossiysk “within the framework of operations to reduce the strategic capabilities of the invading force.”

Ukraine separately targeted a processing plant in the Saratov area and an energy depot in the adjacent Engels region overnight.

Global Sanctions Affect Russian Energy Company

The number two energy company Lukoil said on Friday it has been in talks with interested parties regarding its international holdings after recent restrictions from Western nations and the collapse of an agreement with the Gunvor trading house. “The specific deal are to be disclosed after conclusive negotiations are completed and required authorizations have been obtained,” Lukoil commented.

Ukrainian President Schedules Diplomatic Trip to Spain

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to travel to the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to confer with lawmakers following his visit to Paris, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. The Ukrainian president will convene with representatives from all houses of the legislature during his visit, the Spanish statement said.