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Ukrainian authorities have declared the commencement of large-scale manufacturing for a new locally engineered interceptor drone to enhance its air defences. Three initial manufacturers have started manufacturing, with 11 more getting ready to set up production lines, Ukrainian military officials announced on Friday.

Advanced 'Octopus' System Proven in Battlefield Situations

These UAVs will be based on a nationally created technology called “Octopus” engineered to neutralize Iranian-made drones. The system underwent testing in combat and demonstrated effective “at night, under jamming and flying low,” officials stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy established an ambitious goal of manufacturing up to 1,000 defensive drones daily.

Recent Attack on the Capital Characterized as Deliberate

Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine as “deliberate, calculated and brutal” following six people were killed and many others injured in a series of nocturnal attacks throughout Kyiv. Alert systems activated in the capital just after midnight this past Friday, with Shahed drones soon detected overhead and intensive defensive fire from Ukrainian air defences.

Zelenskyy reported the nation was hit by hundreds of UAVs and multiple missiles. The deceased had been at home in a block of flats on Kyiv’s left bank when it was hit. Dozens of additional structures were damaged, among them the Azerbaijani embassy.

Diplomatic Objection After Diplomatic Compound Damage

The Azerbaijani government said it issued a strong protest to Moscow's diplomatic representative this past Friday after the destruction at its diplomatic compound. An explosion from a Russian Iskander missile demolished a section of the embassy’s perimeter wall and resulted in significant destruction to the embassy grounds, officials from Baku stated. No one injured, and an official representative confirmed the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was continuing to operate.

Russian Glide Bomb Production Experiences Significant Increase

Russia plans to manufacture as many as 120,000 guided aerial bombs this year, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said, including 500 of a new, extended-range model that is capable of targeting additional urban centers. Russian forces have been launching 200 to 250 glide bombs per day, with the previous month's daily average being about 170, based on defence ministry data.

Kyiv's Strikes Target Russian Energy Infrastructure

Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk halted for a period crude shipments on Friday – representing two percent of global supply – following a strike by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s general staff said its forces had fired domestically produced missiles and deployed various types of attack UAVs in the assault against Novorossiysk “as part of operations to reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor.”

Ukrainian forces separately struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region and a fuel storage facility in nearby Engels during the night.

Global Restrictions Impact Russian Energy Company

Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil said on Friday it has been in talks with potential buyers regarding its foreign assets after recent sanctions from the UK and the US and the collapse of an agreement with the Gunvor trading house. “Final arrangements are to be disclosed after conclusive negotiations have been reached and required authorizations are secured,” Lukoil commented.

Ukrainian President Plans Diplomatic Trip to Spain

The Ukrainian leader will visit the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, on Tuesday to confer with lawmakers following his visit to Paris, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. The Ukrainian president would meet representatives from all houses of parliament during his visit, the Spanish statement confirmed.