3 Hypersonic Missiles Strike Near Airfield In Western Ukraine

The Ukrainian Air Force has confirmed that its air defences were able to shoot down one of four Russian 'Kindzhal' hypersonic missiles launched earlier today, but that three others hit near a military airfield in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in the west of the country. With Western Ukraine and the capital, Kyiv, under frequent missile and drone attack in recent days, the prospect of any significant peace talks in the short term looks unlikely.

• The positive noises from Ukraine-backing nations as well as neutral states following last week's Jeddah summit could signal willingness from nations such as Saudi Arabia to seek to broker a deal. But in order for any progress to be made, a ceasefire would need to be in place, and at present that appears a distant prospect.
• Comes as wires report that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired all regional chiefs of Ukraine's military recruitment offices. Earlier in August, Zelenskyy criticised the situation at recruitment centres, saying that "revolting" practices of corruption had been exposed during an audit.
• The slow progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and the depletion of troop numbers due to the grinding nature of the war has seen increased focus on the recruitment centres due to their crucial role in ensuring a steady stream of new soldiers to the front lines.