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Ukraine has announced the commencement of mass production for an innovative domestically developed defensive UAV to reinforce its aerial protection systems. The first three manufacturers have started production, with 11 more getting ready to set up production lines, the defence ministry announced on Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Tested in Battlefield Situations

These UAVs will be based on a domestically developed technology called “Octopus” designed to neutralize Shahed drones. This technology underwent testing in actual battle and proved effective “at night, amid electronic warfare and at low altitudes,” officials confirmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set a target of producing up to 1,000 defensive drones each day.

Recent Assault on the Capital Characterized as Calculated

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine as “deliberate, premeditated and brutal” after six people lost their lives and many others injured in a series of night-time strikes across Kyiv. Air raid sirens sounded in the capital shortly after 12 AM on Friday, with enemy UAVs quickly heard overhead and intensive defensive fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

The president reported the nation was hit by 430 drones and multiple missiles. The deceased were at home in a block of flats on the capital's left bank during the strike. Numerous of other buildings were damaged, including the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan.

Diplomatic Protest After Diplomatic Compound Destruction

The Azerbaijani government said it issued a formal objection to the Russian ambassador on Friday after the embassy damage. The blast from a Russian Iskander missile demolished part of the compound's boundary wall and caused serious damage to the diplomatic compound, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry reported. No one was hurt, and a ministry spokesperson confirmed the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was continuing to operate.

Russian Glide Bomb Manufacturing Sees Major Expansion

Russia intends to produce up to 120,000 glide bombs this year, a high-ranking Ukrainian defense official said, including 500 of an innovative, extended-range model that can reach additional urban centers. Russian forces have been launching hundreds of aerial bombs daily, with the previous month's daily average being about 170, according to official military statistics.

Kyiv's Strikes Target Russian Energy Infrastructure

Moscow's maritime terminal of Novorossiysk halted for a period oil exports this past Friday – equivalent to 2% of worldwide oil production – after a strike by Ukrainian forces. Military commanders in Kyiv stated its military had launched domestically produced missiles and used various types of strike drones in the attack on Novorossiysk “as part of operations to reduce the strategic capabilities of the Russian aggressor.”

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

Global Sanctions Impact Moscow's Energy Company

Russia’s second-largest energy company Lukoil announced this past Friday it is negotiating with interested parties regarding its international holdings following last month’s restrictions 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 have been obtained,” the company commented.

Zelenskyy Plans Visit to Spain

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to travel to the Spanish capital, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to meet with parliament members a day after his trip to France, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. The Ukrainian president would meet representatives from both chambers of the legislature during his visit, an official announcement confirmed.