RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian troops destroy over 18,500 military drones in Ukraine operation — top brass Russian troops have destroyed over 18,500 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. "In all, the following targets have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation: 581 aircraft, 270 helicopters, 18,538 unmanned aerial vehicles, 495 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,684 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,262 multiple rocket launchers, 8,644 field artillery guns and mortars and 20,576 special military motor vehicles," the ministry said in a statement. WESTERN…

ISREALI REPORTS All female hostages in Gaza being sexually abused, freed hostage says Many of the people at the session broke into tears and sobs while they and others were speaking. Every Israeli woman who is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza is being sexually abused, freed hostage Mia Regev said during an emergency debate in the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality on the situation of the women hostages. Regev, who was freed during the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas in November, said that it was "unbelievable" that the Knesset was planning on…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine lowers army draft age to 25 to generate more fighting power President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a bill on Tuesday to lower the mobilisation age for combat duty from 27 to 25, a move that should help Ukraine generate more fighting power in its war with Russia. The bill had been on Zelenskiy's table since it was approved by lawmakers in May 2023, and it was not immediately clear what prompted him to sign it. Parliament has been discussing a separate bill to broadly tighten draft rules for months. The move expands the number of civilians the army…

US pushes alternatives to Rafah invasion in Hamas war talks with Israel Top American and Israeli officials held virtual talks Monday as the U.S. pushed alternatives to the ground assault against Hamasunder consideration by Israelis in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a move the U.S. opposes on humanitarian grounds and that has frayed relations between the two allies. President Joe Biden and his administration have publicly and privately urged Israel for months to refrain from a large-scale incursion into Rafah without a credible plan to relocate and safeguard noncombatants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israeli forces,…