Winter’s approach sets clock ticking for Ukraine

The Russian mobilisation, its first such call-up since the Second World War, is sparking protests in Russian cities, with fresh demonstrations on Sunday

Police detain a demonstrator in Moscow (AP)

The onset of autumnal weather, with rain making fields too muddy for tanks, is beginning to cloud Ukraine’s efforts to take back more Russian-held territory before winter freezes the battlefields, a Washington-based think tank has said.

Russia, meanwhile, pressed on with its call-up of hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month war, seeking to reverse its recent losses.