RIGHT SPEAK: UKRaine Shoots Down Dozens of RUssian Drones On Annexation Anniversary; UKR Lures Western Weapons Makers to Transform Defence Industry; First in World History - UKR Creates Fleet of Maritime Drones; UKR and RU Forces Clashed 44 Times Over Past Day, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

NY POST: Ukraine shoots down dozens of Russian drones on annexation anniversary:

Ukraine’s air force shot down 30 out of 40 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack targeting its southern and central regions Saturday, as Moscow celebrated the one-year anniversary of the annexation of four regions in the war-torn country with vows to start drafting men who live in those areas.

Ukraine’s South Military command said that 20 Iranian-made drones were shot down in the central Vinnytsia region and another 10 over the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions in the south, according to reports.

Russia continued to attack critical port infrastructure, including on the Danube River, and was also attempting to strike infrastructure facilities in other Ukrainian regions “to impact the economy,” a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Command told Ukrainian TV.

Moscow stepped up its attacks on grain exports in July after it backed out of a UN-brokered deal that ensured the safe transport of grain to Ukraine via the Black Sea.

Vinnytsia’s regional governor Serhiy Borzov said Saturday that an unidentified infrastructure facility was hit in the region, causing a powerful fire.

He gave no other details about the damage.

The governor of Ukraine’s partly occupied southern Zaporizhzhia region, Yurii Malashko, said five people were wounded on Saturday in two missile strikes on the village of Matviivka, located on the northeastern outskirts of the regional capital, also called Zaporizhzhia, according to reports. --->READ MORE HERE

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo

Ukraine lures Western weapons makers to transform defence industry:

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he wants to turn Ukraine's defence industry into a "large military hub" by partnering with Western weapons manufacturers to increase arms supplies for Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia.

He was speaking at a forum his government convened with international producers to discuss how to jointly develop industrial capacity to build and repair weapons in Ukraine despite constant Russian bombardment.

"Ukraine is in such a phase of the defence marathon when it is very important, critical to go forward without retreating. Results from the frontline are needed daily," Zelenskiy told executives representing more than 250 Western weapons producers.

"We are interested in localizing production of equipment needed for our defence and each of those advanced defence systems which are used by our soldiers, giving Ukraine the best results at the front today," he told the forum in Kyiv.

Zelenskiy said that air defence and de-mining were his immediate priorities. Ukraine also aims to boost domestic production of missiles, drones and artillery ammunition.

Kyiv began its counteroffensive in early June to try to recapture territories seized by Russia, which still controls about 18% of the Ukrainian territory. Kyiv reported advances in several directions and liberated over a dozen villages, but so far has not managed to retake any major cities.

Ukraine critically depends on Western financial and military support and has had tens of billions of dollars of such help since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. But the war created a constantly growing demand for arms and ammunition. --->READ MORE HERE