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Ukrainian authorities have declared the start of mass production for a new locally engineered interceptor drone to strengthen its air defences. The first three producers have started production, with 11 more preparing to set up assembly lines, the defence ministry stated on Friday.

'Octopus' Technology Tested in Combat Situations

The drones will be based on a nationally created system known as “Octopus” engineered to neutralize Shahed drones. The system underwent testing in actual battle and proved successful “during nighttime, under jamming and flying low,” officials stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set an ambitious goal of producing up to 1,000 interceptors daily.

Recent Assault on Kyiv Characterized as Deliberate

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Moscow's most recent assault on Ukraine as “deliberate, premeditated and brutal” following six individuals were killed and many others injured in a series of night-time strikes across Kyiv. Air raid sirens sounded in the capital just after midnight this past Friday, with enemy UAVs quickly heard overhead and heavy machine-gun fire from Ukrainian air defences.

The president stated the nation was targeted by 430 drones and multiple missiles. The deceased had been inside their residences in a block of flats on Kyiv’s left bank when it was hit. Dozens of other buildings sustained damage, among them the Azerbaijani embassy.

International Protest Following Diplomatic Compound Damage

Azerbaijan said it issued a strong protest to the Russian ambassador this past Friday after the embassy damage. The blast from a Moscow's missile destroyed part of the compound's boundary wall and caused significant destruction to the diplomatic compound, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry reported. No one injured, and an official representative confirmed the Kyiv embassy was continuing to operate.

Russian Aerial Bomb Production Sees Major Expansion

Moscow intends to produce 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 can reach additional urban centers. Moscow's military have been launching hundreds of aerial bombs per day, with the previous month's average daily usage being approximately 170, based on official military statistics.

Kyiv's Attacks Target Moscow's Oil Facilities

Moscow's Black Sea port of the port city halted for a period oil exports this past Friday – equivalent to two percent of worldwide oil production – after a strike by Ukrainian forces. Military commanders in Kyiv said its military had fired domestically produced missiles and used multiple kinds of strike drones in the assault against Novorossiysk “within the framework of efforts to diminish the strategic capabilities of the invading force.”

Ukrainian forces separately struck a processing plant in the Saratov area and an energy depot in nearby Engels overnight.

Global Restrictions Affect Moscow's Oil Producer

The number two oil producer Lukoil announced this past Friday it has been in talks with interested parties concerning its foreign assets following last month’s sanctions from the UK and the US and failure of a deal with the Gunvor trading house. “Final arrangements will be announced once conclusive negotiations are completed and required authorizations have been obtained,” Lukoil commented.

Ukrainian President Schedules Diplomatic Trip to Spain

The Ukrainian leader will visit the city of Madrid, the Spanish capital, next Tuesday to meet with lawmakers a day after his visit to Paris, Spanish parliamentary officials announced. The Ukrainian president will convene with deputies from all houses of the legislature throughout his stay, an official announcement confirmed.