🔗 Share this article

Ukrainian authorities have declared the commencement of large-scale manufacturing for an innovative domestically developed defensive UAV to enhance its air defences. The first three producers have begun manufacturing, with 11 more getting ready to establish assembly lines, Ukrainian military officials announced this past Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Proven in Battlefield Conditions

These UAVs will be based on a nationally created system known as “Octopus” designed to neutralize Shahed drones. This technology underwent testing in combat and proved successful “at night, amid electronic warfare and at low altitudes,” officials confirmed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of producing as many as 1,000 defensive drones each day.

Recent Attack on the Capital Described as Deliberate

The Ukrainian president characterized Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine as “deliberate, premeditated and brutal” following six people lost their lives and dozens injured in a wave of night-time strikes throughout Kyiv. Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv shortly after midnight this past Friday, with Shahed drones quickly heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

Zelenskyy reported the country was hit by 430 drones and multiple missiles. The deceased were inside their residences in a block of flats on Kyiv’s left bank during the strike. Dozens of other buildings sustained damage, among them the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan.

Diplomatic Protest Following Diplomatic Compound Destruction

The Azerbaijani government announced it delivered a strong protest to the Russian ambassador this past Friday after the destruction at its diplomatic compound. An explosion from a Russian Iskander missile demolished a section of the compound's boundary wall and caused serious damage to the embassy grounds, officials from Baku reported. There were no personnel was hurt, and a ministry spokesperson confirmed the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was maintaining operations.

Moscow's Glide Bomb Production Experiences Significant Increase

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

Ukrainian Attacks Target Russian Oil Facilities

Moscow's Black Sea port of the port city halted for a period oil exports on Friday – representing 2% of global supply – following a Ukrainian missile and drone attack. Ukraine’s general staff stated its forces had fired domestically produced missiles and deployed multiple kinds of attack UAVs in the assault against Novorossiysk “as part of operations to diminish the military and economic potential of the invading force.”

Ukrainian forces additionally struck a processing plant in Russia’s Saratov region and a fuel storage facility in the adjacent Engels region overnight.

International Sanctions Impact Russian Oil Producer

The number two oil producer Lukoil announced this past Friday it has been in talks with potential buyers concerning its international holdings after recent sanctions from the UK and the US and the collapse of an agreement with commodity trader Gunvor. “Final arrangements will be announced once conclusive negotiations have been reached and required authorizations have been obtained,” the company stated.

Zelenskyy Plans Visit to Spanish Capital

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to travel to the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, on Tuesday to meet with parliament members a day after his trip to France, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. The Ukrainian president will convene with deputies from all houses of parliament during his visit, the Spanish statement said.