WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Zelenskiy to visit US Congress next week, reports say Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit the U.S. Congress next week, according to media reports, after a U.S. official earlier said the Ukrainian president was expected to meet with U.S. President Biden on Thursday. Punchbowl News on Friday said Zelenskiy's visit with Congress was tentatively scheduled for Thursday. The Washington Post also reported Zelenskiy was set to travel to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, while the Wall Street Journal said he would meet with U.S. lawmakers. Representatives for Zelenskiy and congressional leaders could not be immediately reached for comment on the…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukrainian forces press on in east, inflict casualties in south, officials say Ukraine on Thursday pressed on with a gruelling campaign to regain ground near the shattered Russian-held city of Bakhmut and inflicted heavy casualties on Russian forces on the southern front, senior military officials said. The Ukrainian accounts outlined fierce fighting in many parts of the eastern front, but no new breakthroughs in the three-month old counter offensive. Ukrainian advances have been much slower than gains they recorded last year in recovering territory in the northeast, as they proceed methodically in the face of deep Russian entrenchments.…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Putin says millions of Russian volunteers cross the border to join war in Ukraine More than a quarter of a million Russians have voluntarily joined the armed forces in recent months, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, claiming 1,000-1,500 Russians were signing voluntary contracts to join the military every day. Ukrainian intelligence stated that the Russian military has concentrated more than 420,000 military personnel in occupied Ukraine. This, as Ukrainian and UK military officials reported that there could be more coming. ** Russia has ‘overcome sanctions’ – NYT Russia has defied Western sanctions and export controls intended…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Putin offers estimate of Ukrainian losses Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided an update on the casualties the Ukrainian military incurred since their operation commenced in early June. He further noted that Kiev had not achieved the anticipated results it had initially sought. Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Tuesday: “There are losses, big losses. Since the start of this counteroffensive, the casualties [have reached] 71,500 people.” The president claimed that Kiev is seeking to achieve results “at any cost,” which makes it look like the Ukrainian leadership does not care about its own…