cannon

It was a key battleground during the 2019 demonstrations that saw protesters battling police on the streets, hurling projectiles against tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.

Riot police have been deployed around the country's parliament, the focal point of the ongoing protests, which have have seen police deploy water cannon and tear gas in recent days.

Demonstrators set up barricades in the streets, while police used pepper spray and water cannon on the crowds.

These units are often sent in to battle as the “first wave” and a number of Russian deserters have told the BBC that “troublemakers” who object to the war have been used as “cannon fodder”.

However, he says, they should not be presumed to be cannon fodder - adding such a characterisation is “Ukrainian bravado”.