Ukraine said its air defence systems shot down 16 of about 30 drones launched by Russia on Sunday. Authorities said civilian infrastructure and grain storage warehouses were damaged in the Cherkasy region as well as the southern Mykolaiv and eastern Dnipropetrovsk regions. Russia's defence ministry said its forces' air defences in eastern Ukraine had intercepted five United States-made HIMARS shells, an air-launched JDAM bomb and 37 Ukrainian drones. Kyiv began a counteroffensive in June to retake Ukrainian land occupied by Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Russia's defence ministry said it shot down six Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and two Ukrainian missiles over Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to Kyiv that Ukrainian forces are "gradually gaining ground" in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. "Every metre that Ukrainian forces regain is a metre that Russia loses," he said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia said it destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones overnight in an attack that saw one combat drone drop explosives on a power substation, cutting a local power supply in Russia's Kursk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting out his country's routine autumn conscription campaign, which will see 130,000 people called up for statutory military service. Adult men in Russia are required to do a yearlong military service between the ages of 18 and 27 or equivalent training while pursuing higher education.

"We needed weapons, and we needed them fast," 3D says, sitting beneath the stalactites in a dimly lit cave, somewhere deep in the jungle in eastern Myanmar. The space reverberates with the hum of 3D printers--the devices that gave 3D his nom de guerre. He spoke on condition that WIRED would not reveal his real name or show his face. "My parents would kill me if they would know what I'm up to," he says. Not only does 3D face the risk of arrest, torture, or execution for his part in the revolution, the military would not hesitate to arrest his parents if they were to discover 3D's identity.

A combat drone dropped explosives on an electricity substation in a Russian village near the border with Ukraine, while Russia's Ministry of Defence reported shooting down more than a dozen Ukrainian drones over the Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Kaluga. In the Russian village of Belaya, located less than 25km (16 miles) from the border, "a Ukrainian drone dropped two explosive devices on a substation", Kursk regional governor Roman Starovoyt said on the Telegram messaging app early on Friday. "One of the transformers caught fire. Five settlements and a hospital were cut off from power supply. Fire crews rushed to the scene," he said.

Scientists at the University of Washington have developed flying robots that change shape in mid-air, all without batteries, as originally published in the research journal Science Robotics. These miniature Transformers snap into a folded position during flight to stabilize descent. They weigh just 400 milligrams and feature an on-board battery-free actuator complete with a solar power-harvesting circuit. These robots actually mimic the flight of different leaf types in mid-air once they're dropped from a drone at an approximate height of 130 feet. The origami-inspired design allows them to transform quickly from an unfolded to a folded state, a process that takes just 25 milliseconds.

Former U.S. Defense intel officer Rebekah Koffler discusses additional aid pledged to Ukraine and the U.S.'s decision to launch an unarmed ICBM in California. Last Friday, responding to questions about recent strikes on Crimea, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, acknowledged, albeit indirectly, that Ukraine was behind them. He also warned that there will be more drone attacks on Russian warships. Drone warfare is a critical component to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's new asymmetric strategy, likely intended to ensure that Ukrainian armed forces are able to stay in the fight, over the long run, even if they are unable to secure a clear military victory over their highly entrenched opponent. Zelenskyy probably calculates that by systematically employing small scale drone attacks, Ukraine may be able to frustrate, demoralize and exhaust the Russian forces and psychologically dislodge Russian civilians.

The death toll for Bahraini soldiers killed in an attack blamed on Yemen's Houthis has risen to three, Bahrain's state news agency said. Two Bahraini servicemen in Saudi Arabia were initially confirmed dead in Monday's drone attack, before a third soldier succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, the Bahrain Defence Force said. The attack took place as the soldiers were patrolling Saudi Arabia's southern border with Yemen. "We mourn one of our men who was martyred today as a result of his serious injuries after the Houthi attack on the southern border of Saudi Arabia," the Bahrain Defence Force said on Wednesday, announcing the death of the third soldier. Bahrain's state agency identified the soldier as First Warrant Officer Adam Salem Naseeb, and said he had "valiantly gave his life in the line of duty".

The "Pro" moniker gets thrown around a lot on gadgets that are, at best, built for hobbyists with some disposable income. The original Mavic 3 was already a fantastic drone, but the newest variation packs an entire film studio into a small, flying package (and a high price to match its power). At $4,799, this drone is not cheap, but you can capture high-quality aerial shots! This is just not something that's really feasible without spending tons more. The most stark change in the Pro Cine variant of the Mavic 3 is its triple-camera array.

Russia released a video reportedly showing Viktor Sokolov, commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, at a meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other military top brass a day after Ukrainian special forces claimed he was among dozens of officers killed in an attack on the fleet's Sevastopol naval base. Ukraine said it was clarifying information regarding Sokolov. The United Kingdom's defence ministry said "a dynamic, deep strike battle" was under way in the Black Sea after the Russian Black Sea Fleet suffered a series of major attacks. Kyiv said its air defences destroyed 26 of 38 Russian drones fired overnight but that some of the drones hit the Danube River port of Izmail, damaging more than 30 vehicles and injuring two drivers during a two-hour attack. The drone barrage also prompted the temporary suspension of ferry services to Romania.

Nearly 1,500 US police departments operate drones but only about a dozen routinely dispatch them in response to 911 calls, according to ACLU research. Drone maker Skydio aims to see that change, with a new model launched last week called the X10. The goal, cofounder and CEO Adam Bry said during a launch event last week in San Francisco, is to "get drones everywhere they can be useful in public safety." The new drone is capable of flying at speeds of 45 miles per hour and is small enough to fit into the trunk of a police car. It has infrared sensors that can be used to track people and fly autonomously in the dark.