On Saturday, a drone attack was initiated by Russia on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian air force announced that they successfully took down 30 out of the 31 Iranian-made Shahed drones that were attacking 11 regions in Ukraine through the use of forces and mobile drone hunters.

The specified locations were Kyiv, the central city, as well as the southern Kherson region and the western Khmelnytsky region.

“The leader of Kyiv’s military administration, Shehiy Popko, stated that the drones were launched in multiple groups, in waves, and from various directions.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, announced in his regular speech that he convened a gathering of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Lyiv on Friday. Zelenskyy stated that national government representatives, including the prime minister, were also present at the meeting.

At the meeting, he mentioned that numerous matters were brought up. This is crucial as it allows for continuous communication between the government and local authorities, and for community leaders to gain an understanding of the current state in Ukraine.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy also mentioned that the leader of Ukraine’s security service provided information regarding the arrest of collaborators in Odesa, Kherson region, and Dnipro.

In an effort to strengthen its domestic defense industry and decrease reliance on Western military resources, Ukraine has entered into agreements with Western allies for collaborative technology weapons production.

According to a post on Facebook by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, there are numerous new agreements between companies for collaborating on production or exchanging technology.

The push to boost domestic production has become crucial amidst uncertainty surrounding future military aid from the United States and European Union, and dwindling Western stockpiles.

Kyiv has hosted a number of conferences with members of the international defense industry. This week it held a conference with the largest British defense manufacturers, while last September it hosted more than 250 Western weapons producers, followed by a joint Ukraine-U.S. defense conference in Washington in December.

Umerov announced that a memorandum has been signed with the United States for the purpose of collaborating on production and sharing technical data.

Ukraine is actively pursuing additional partnerships similar to its collaboration with Rheinmetall AG, a German company that provides maintenance and repair services for Western weapons. Additionally, Ukraine has made an agreement with two American companies to co-manufacture crucial 155 mm artillery shells.

The strategic industries ministry reports that domestic defense production has tripled in 2023 and is projected to increase sixfold next year.