Ukrainian forces are forming 8 new brigades, a large part of which consists of newly recruited soldiers. Volunteers have become scarcer in recruitment offices, although many civilians spontaneously took up arms at the beginning of the invasion.

Ukrainian forces are at the crossroads between excerpts from NATO training and weapons that are still largely Soviet, and long years of experience in the Donbass trenches. They could suffer losses before they can survive a multi-year war against the Russians, the correspondent points out.