Back in April/May/June we heard of brigade size formations leading counter-offensives against Russian allied, mostly militia and national guard units, forces. We also heard of whole Ukraine brigades being wiped out by Russian artillery and air units.

Back in July/August, perhaps even into September, we heard of battalion size formations leading counter-offensives against Russian allied, mostly militia and national guard units, forces. We also heard of whole Ukraine battalions being wiped out by Russian artillery and air units.

In all that time, Ukrainian soldiers would have been lucky to have even seen a Russian soldier – other than when they themselves were being treated for injury or confined as a captive of those forces.

Then came October, and the announcement of the Russian partial mobilisation, adding well over 300,000 mostly already proficient ex-soldiers to Russian forces, including a large contingent of new volunteers plus the newly incorporated militia units from…