When Kremlin forces invaded Ukraine in February many expected a short and crushing victory for the aggressors.
Onlookers around the world were aghast as armoured vehicle columns stretching miles trundled across the border bringing strife and devastation. A dark dawn of tyranny loomed in Ukraine, with dire predictions forecasting the rapid fall of Kyiv.
Instead, Russian forces met determined resistance from Ukrainian troops and the foreign volunteer fighters who packed their bags and headed to the warzone to fight alongside them.
