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Ukrainian authorities have declared the start of large-scale manufacturing for an innovative domestically developed interceptor drone to reinforce its aerial protection systems. The first three producers have started production, with an additional eleven getting ready to set up assembly lines, Ukrainian military officials stated on Friday.

Advanced 'Octopus' System Proven in Combat Conditions

The drones utilize a nationally created technology called “Octopus” engineered to neutralize Iranian-made drones. This technology underwent testing in combat and demonstrated successful “at night, amid electronic warfare and at low altitudes,” officials stated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of producing up to 1,000 defensive drones daily.

Recent Assault on the Capital Characterized as Deliberate

The Ukrainian president described Moscow's most recent assault against Ukraine as “deliberate, calculated and wicked” following six individuals lost their lives and many others wounded in a series of night-time strikes across Kyiv. Alert systems sounded in the capital just after midnight on Friday, with enemy UAVs quickly heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukraine's aerial protection units.

The president stated the country was targeted by hundreds of UAVs and 18 missiles. Those killed had been 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 diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan.

Diplomatic Protest Following Embassy Destruction

The Azerbaijani government said it delivered a strong protest to Moscow's diplomatic representative on Friday following the destruction at its diplomatic compound. The blast from a Moscow's missile demolished a section of the compound's boundary wall and resulted in serious damage to the embassy grounds, officials from Baku reported. No one was hurt, and an official representative said the diplomatic mission in Ukraine was maintaining operations.

Russian Aerial Bomb Manufacturing Experiences Major Expansion

Russia plans to produce as many as 120,000 guided aerial bombs in the current year, a high-ranking Ukrainian defense official said, including 500 of a new, longer-range version that is capable of targeting more towns and cities. Russian forces were firing hundreds of glide bombs daily, with last month’s daily average standing at approximately 170, based on official military statistics.

Ukrainian Strikes Focus on Russian Energy Infrastructure

Moscow's maritime terminal of the port city temporarily suspended crude shipments this past Friday – equivalent to 2% of worldwide oil production – after a strike by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s general staff said its forces had fired domestically produced missiles and deployed 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 struck a processing plant in the Saratov area and an energy depot in nearby Engels overnight.

Global Sanctions Affect Moscow's Energy Company

Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil announced on Friday it has been in talks with interested parties concerning its international holdings following last month’s sanctions from the UK and the US and the collapse of an agreement with commodity trader Gunvor. “The specific deal will be announced once conclusive negotiations have been reached and the necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained,” the company commented.

Zelenskyy Plans Visit to Spanish Capital

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to confer with lawmakers a day after his trip to France, Spanish parliamentary officials disclosed. Zelenskyy would meet representatives from both chambers of parliament during his visit, an official announcement said.