"Guys, sooner or later it will catch up with you," said Yabchanka, who was back home in western Ukraine waiting for his wounded leg to heal before returning to his unit. Ukrainians still often dismiss Russian troops as incompetent after battlefield failures in 2022 and the recruitment of thousands of convicts to fill their ranks. No change to overall mobilisation plans has been announced and analysts say the government has to consider the broader economy and social stability. Yabchanka, who sports a Cossack-style moustache and hairstyle, said those who are close to someone fighting tend to be more realistic. "This is someone's husband, someone's son, someone's father," he said.

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Persons: Oleksandr Yabchanka, Yabchanka, Vinci, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Adriana Romanko, Dad, Bohdan Krotevych, someone's, he's, Dan Peleschuk, Michael Collett, White, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Vinci Wolves, Battalion, Fighters, Armed Forces of, Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Azov Brigade, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Lviv, Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine