As for mechanized force, they've been taking far fewer losses than Russia, due to having so many western portable anti-tank missiles + defender's advantage. And now that they're starting to get more armored vehicles from the West, things are looking up.
Russia expected to win easily and they've been getting hammered instead.
I don't know why it should surprise anyone. People who make Putin unhappy end up with "accidental" polonium poisoning. Is there any reason to suspect the Russian military hasn't suffered some for that? Or that the Russian military-industrial complex hasn't suffered some due to looting, corruption, and incompetence?
I'm not delusional. Russia has the resources (and human bodies) to waste on this for as long as it takes. If the leadership has the political will they will probably win eventually. It seems unlikely to be worth the cost but Russia would hardly be the first country to pay $100 for a penny in that regard.
Surprisingly, I’ve found AlJazeera to be quite professional, if slightly biased for up-to-date news.
Reports from rusi.org are interesting, but not free and some do have a whiff of opinion/cheering, which is rather suspect.
Books by Mark Galeotti offer insight into the various Soviet and Russian conflicts and into their military forces.
It is from 2015, but describes the process from the collapse of the Soviet Union and how Russia turned into effectively a fascist dictatorship.
https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/garry-kasparov/win...
But keep believing in that, it will make our job easier.
Russia has definitely been losing the propaganda war, that's for sure.