"We realized we had been deceived," a member of one Russian company said after they volunteered to fight in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin's troops launched an assault against the Kharkiv region in May, after building up troops in Western Russia.

The Russian conscription boost came as a Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike hit a major plant supplying electrical equipment to Vladimir Putin's energy industry

Those who return often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, but this is frowned upon – so Russian psychologists are now saying ‘post-traumatic growth’ is a benefit to fighting in Ukraine. Psychologist Vasily Langovoy told an anti-war website in Siberia that war doesn’t just traumatise people – it also ‘heals them’ (Picture: AP) Those who serve in Ukraine could see ‘positive personality changes’ after fighting in Putin’s war.