Ukraine’s air force shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones that were launched by Russia in an overnight attack on central and southern regions, according to regional and military officials. The South Military command reported that 20 drones were shot down in the central Vinnytsia region, while another 10 were intercepted over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command, revealed that Russia was not only attacking port infrastructure, including the Danube river, but also attempting to target critical infrastructure facilities in other Ukrainian regions with the aim of impacting the country’s economy. Since July, Russia has escalated its air attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure in the Danube River and Odesa port after withdrawing from a UN-brokered deal that allowed safe Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea. In a separate incident, a major fire broke out at an oil pipeline in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, injuring nine individuals. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his aspirations to transform Ukraine’s defense industry into a significant military hub by establishing partnerships with Western weapons manufacturers. He made this statement at the first International Defense Industries Forum held in Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted the interest African countries have shown in not only purchasing weapons from Ukraine, but also in manufacturing them locally. Kuleba emphasized that Africa was one of the largest markets for Ukrainian military products prior to the outbreak of war. The forum attracted officials from more than 30 countries and representatives from 250 defense firms, demonstrating Ukraine’s efforts to enhance its arms industry.