Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that the rigours of nearly three years of war did not allow for changes in mobilisation rules because if soldiers left for home en masse, Russian President Vladimir Putin "will kill us all".

A victory for Putin means, in due time, a re-charting of the entire map of Europe, to suit his vision of a Russian empire that never lost the Cold War. The only way to end the war in Ukraine is to ensure that Russia loses and that Ukraine wins.

Russia has lost about twice as many men to death and serious injury as Ukraine. But the trends favor the Kremlin.