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Ukraine has announced the start of large-scale manufacturing for a new domestically developed interceptor drone to enhance its aerial protection systems. The first three producers have begun production, with 11 more preparing to establish assembly lines, the defence ministry stated on Friday.

Advanced 'Octopus' System Tested in Combat Situations

The drones will be based on a domestically developed system called “Octopus” designed to intercept Iranian-made drones. The system underwent testing in combat and demonstrated effective “at night, under jamming and at low altitudes,” the ministry confirmed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy established an ambitious goal of manufacturing up to 1,000 interceptors daily.

Recent Attack on the Capital Described as Deliberate

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Moscow's most recent assault on Ukraine as “intentional, premeditated and brutal” following six people lost their lives and many others wounded in a wave of night-time strikes throughout Kyiv. Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv shortly after midnight on Friday, with Shahed drones quickly heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukrainian air defences.

The president stated the nation was hit by 430 drones and 18 missiles. The deceased were inside their residences in an apartment building on the capital's left bank when it was hit. Dozens of additional structures sustained damage, among them the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Protest After Diplomatic Compound Damage

Azerbaijan said it issued a formal objection to the Russian ambassador on Friday following the embassy damage. The blast from a Russian Iskander missile demolished part of the compound's boundary wall and resulted in significant destruction to the embassy grounds, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry stated. There were no personnel was hurt, and a ministry spokesperson confirmed the Kyiv embassy was maintaining operations.

Moscow's Aerial Bomb Production Sees Major Expansion

Moscow intends to produce as many as 120,000 glide bombs this year, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said, among them 500 of an innovative, extended-range model that is capable of targeting additional urban centers. Russian forces were firing hundreds of glide bombs per day, with the previous month's daily average standing at approximately 170, according to defence ministry data.

Ukrainian Attacks Focus on Moscow's Oil Facilities

Moscow's Black Sea port of the port city temporarily suspended oil exports on Friday – equivalent to 2% of worldwide oil production – following a Ukrainian missile and drone attack. Ukraine’s general staff said its forces had fired domestically produced missiles and used various types of strike drones in the assault against Novorossiysk “as part of operations to diminish the strategic capabilities of the invading force.”

Ukraine separately targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region and a fuel storage facility in the adjacent Engels region overnight.

Global Restrictions Affect Russian Oil Producer

Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil announced this past Friday it has been in talks with interested parties concerning its international holdings following last month’s sanctions from Western nations and the collapse of a deal with the Gunvor trading house. “The specific deal will be announced after the final agreements have been reached and the necessary regulatory approvals are secured,” Lukoil stated.

Ukrainian President Plans Diplomatic Trip to Spain

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to meet with lawmakers a day after his trip to France, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. Zelenskyy will convene with deputies from both chambers of the legislature during his visit, the Spanish statement said.