🔗 Share this article

Ukraine has announced the start of large-scale manufacturing for a new locally engineered defensive UAV to enhance its air defences. The first three producers have started manufacturing, with an additional eleven preparing to establish assembly lines, the defence ministry announced this past Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Tested in Battlefield Conditions

The drones will be based on a domestically developed technology called “Octopus” designed to neutralize Iranian-made drones. The system underwent testing in actual battle and demonstrated effective “during nighttime, amid electronic warfare and flying low,” officials confirmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set a target of producing as many as 1,000 defensive drones daily.

Latest Assault on Kyiv Described as Calculated

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Moscow's most recent assault on Ukraine as “intentional, premeditated and wicked” after six people lost their lives and dozens wounded in a series of nocturnal attacks across Kyiv. Air raid sirens activated in the capital shortly after midnight on Friday, with enemy UAVs soon heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukrainian air defences.

The president stated the country was hit by 430 drones and 18 missiles. Those killed were at home in a block of flats on Kyiv’s left bank during the strike. Numerous of additional structures sustained damage, among them the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Protest After Embassy Damage

The Azerbaijani government said it issued a strong protest to the Russian ambassador this past Friday after the embassy damage. An explosion from a Moscow's missile demolished part of the embassy’s perimeter wall and caused significant destruction to the diplomatic compound, officials from Baku stated. There were no personnel injured, and an official representative said the Kyiv embassy was maintaining operations.

Russian Glide Bomb Production Sees Significant Increase

Russia plans to manufacture up to 120,000 glide bombs in the current year, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said, among them 500 of an innovative, extended-range model that is capable of targeting additional urban centers. Moscow's military have been launching hundreds of aerial bombs daily, with the previous month's daily average standing at about 170, based on defence ministry data.

Kyiv's Strikes Target Moscow's Energy Infrastructure

Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended oil exports on Friday – representing 2% of worldwide oil production – after a Ukrainian missile and drone attack. Military commanders in Kyiv said its forces had fired domestically produced missiles and deployed multiple kinds of attack UAVs in the assault against Novorossiysk “as part of efforts to diminish the strategic capabilities of the invading force.”

Ukraine additionally struck an oil refinery in the Saratov area and an energy depot in the adjacent Engels region during the night.

Global Sanctions Impact Moscow's Energy Company

Russia’s second-largest energy company Lukoil announced on Friday it is negotiating with potential buyers regarding its foreign assets following recent sanctions from Western nations and failure of a deal with commodity trader Gunvor. “Final arrangements are to be disclosed once conclusive negotiations have been reached and required authorizations are secured,” Lukoil commented.

Ukrainian President Plans Visit to Spanish Capital

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the Spanish capital, the Spanish capital, on Tuesday to meet with parliament members a day after his visit to Paris, the chamber of deputies announced. The Ukrainian president would meet deputies from all houses of parliament during his visit, the Spanish statement confirmed.