🔗 Share this article

Ukraine has announced the commencement of large-scale manufacturing for a new locally engineered defensive UAV to reinforce its air defences. The first three manufacturers have begun manufacturing, with an additional eleven preparing to set up assembly lines, Ukrainian military officials announced this past Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Proven in Battlefield Situations

These UAVs will be based on a nationally created system known as “Octopus” engineered to neutralize Shahed drones. This technology underwent testing in combat and proved effective “at night, amid electronic warfare and flying low,” the ministry stated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of manufacturing up to 1,000 defensive drones daily.

Latest Attack on Kyiv Described as Calculated

Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine as “deliberate, calculated and brutal” following six individuals were killed and many others wounded in a wave of nocturnal attacks across Kyiv. Alert systems activated in the capital shortly after midnight on Friday, with enemy UAVs soon detected overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

The president reported the nation was targeted 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, among them the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Objection After Embassy Destruction

Azerbaijan said it issued a formal objection to the Russian ambassador on Friday after the destruction at its diplomatic compound. The blast from a Moscow's missile demolished part of the embassy’s perimeter wall and resulted in serious damage to the diplomatic compound, officials from Baku stated. There were no personnel injured, and a ministry spokesperson confirmed the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was maintaining operations.

Russian Aerial Bomb Manufacturing Sees Major Expansion

Russia plans to manufacture up to 120,000 guided aerial bombs in the current year, a high-ranking Ukrainian defense official disclosed, including 500 of a new, longer-range version that can reach additional urban centers. Russian forces were firing 200 to 250 aerial bombs per day, with the previous month's daily average being approximately 170, according to defence ministry data.

Kyiv's Attacks Focus on Moscow's Energy Infrastructure

Moscow's maritime terminal of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended crude shipments on Friday – representing two percent 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 attack UAVs in the assault against Novorossiysk “within the framework of efforts to reduce the military and economic potential of the invading force.”

Ukrainian forces separately struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region and an energy depot in the adjacent Engels region overnight.

International Sanctions Affect Russian Energy Company

The number two oil producer Lukoil said this past Friday it has been in talks with interested parties concerning its foreign assets following recent sanctions from the UK and the US and the collapse of an agreement with the Gunvor trading house. “The specific deal will be announced once the final agreements have been reached and required authorizations have been obtained,” Lukoil commented.

Ukrainian President Schedules Visit to Spain

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to the city of Madrid, Madrid, next Tuesday to confer with parliament members following his visit to Paris, Spanish parliamentary officials disclosed. Zelenskyy will convene with deputies from all houses of the legislature throughout his stay, an official announcement confirmed.