Russian troops finally raised their flag in Avdiivka last Sunday - handing Vladimir Putin his first victory since taking nearby Bakhmut last May, and one conveniently timed for next month's Russian presidential elections. True, only a leader like him would see anything to boast about: the grimy industrial town of 30,000 is a third of the size of Scunthorpe, and taking it has required the lives of an estimated Russian 20,000 troops. But it is hardly the finest hour for Kyiv's foreign backers either.

For Avdiikva's fall is not just a story of Russian brute strength, but about faltering Western support. Thanks to dithering over US and EU military aid packages since the autumn, Kyiv's forces are running dangerously short on every front: artillery, drones, manpower - and, to some extent, morale.

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