WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine's defence systems engaged in repelling air attack over Kyiv - Ukraine's military Ukraine's air defence systems were engaged early on Wednesday in repelling a Russian air attack on Kyiv, the capital's military administration said on the Telegram messaging app. Reuters' witnesses heard several blasts which sounded like air defence systems being deployed. All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts as of 0550 a.m. (0250 GMT). ** Ukrainian intercepts show Russian soldiers’ anger at losses, disarray Ukraine’s counteroffensive was in its second month when Andrey, a Russian soldier, called his wife to say his unit was taking…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine's counteroffensive has 'failed' – Putin Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive has not “stalled” but failed, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Monday. With Ukrainian losses mounting and Kiev ramping up its conscription efforts, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu affirmed his commander-in-chief's assessment. The Ukrainian operation “is not stalled; it is a failure,”Putin declared, following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the resort city of Sochi. “At least, this is how it looks today,” he continued. “Let’s see what happens next. I hope this will continue to be the case.” In early June, Kiev launched its long-awaited counteroffensive…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian warplanes sink speedboats with Ukrainian landing force – Moscow Russian warplanes have prevented yet another landing attempt by Ukrainian forces, destroying four US-made military speedboats and their crews in the Black Sea west of the Crimean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry said on Monday morning. Russian Black Sea Fleet naval aviation aircraft “destroyed four US-made Willard Sea Force high-speed military boats with landing groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the military said. The landing force was reportedly heading towards Cape Tarkhankut, the westernmost part of the Crimean Peninsula, in yet another botched landing attempt, according to the …

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Two more ships pass through Black Sea corridor, Zelenskiy says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that two more ships had passed through a "temporary" Black Sea shipping corridor established since Russia withdrew from a U.N.-backed grain export deal in July. "Two ships have successfully passed through our temporary 'grain corridor'," Zelenskiy posted on X, previously known as Twitter. The president did not identify the vessels involved or say when they had completed their passage. Officials on Friday said two vessels had cleared the corridor -- bringing to four the number that have used it. Zelenskiy said…