> The grunts who are turning themselves in say they thought it was “training” until the last minute.

Take that with a grain of salt. If you research the history of Russian conflicts, stating that they were told it was just training is a common trope of captured Russians (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30549427). It's basically a survival technique. Don't underestimate the indoctrination apparatus of the Russian army. They were sent there to kill, and they know it. Imagine being in 'training' and seeing medical tents + doctors + blood supplies. Give me a break. That doesn't rule out poor planning and/or poor logistics..