Russian commentators begin to explain why Russia is losing:

[haele]

3. Defenders always fight harder, especially in light of atrocities.

The Russians from north western Russia have always treated the Ukrainians as lesser Slavs, uncivilized Russian peasants or yokels. Only those Ukrainians who embrace Moscow or St. Petersburg are truly Russian. The former Ukrainian government imposed by Russia worked hard to reenforce that stereotype. But Ukraine has changed over the past eight years, with governments that began to invest in the country and people, even with the the endemic corruption.

So the Russian invaders were surprised when even poor Ukrainian villages are better off than their Russian counterparts. And were willing to fight for even the small gains they had made as a country.

Also, Ukraine has been reorganizing their military as more of a western style with a stronger trained and professional NCO corps that could lead independently of the Officer corps during battle. That, plus technology force multipliers such as drones and advanced surveillance systems have made for a better fighting force. It's not "American Generals" that are making the Ukrainians better, more adaptable fighters, it's Ukrainian senior NCOs and the Ukrainian generals and jr. officers that trust them with battlefield tactics.

Haele