Ukraine needs more soldiers as its troops defend Ukrainian territory and carry out an offensive inside Russia. An elite Ukrainian military unit offers civilians a one-week tryout as soldiers.
Ukrainian soldiers appear to be several miles inside Russia’s Kursk region, where they are in several villages. Russia’s top military official says some 1,000 Ukrainian troops are taking part.
Ukraine's domestic arms manufacturers bristle at the notion the country relies entirely on military aid from the U.S. and Europe. The country's weapons development and production, they say, is robust.
Ukraine is looking to reform its conscription policies to help bolster troop numbers after nearly two years of war, fueling fears among some civilians who don't want to fight.
Ukraine's government acknowledges the gains in its most recent counteroffensive have been small. And it worries Western allies are distracted by the war between Israel and Hamas.
Andrii Pilshchykov, known as "Juice," died in a training flight Friday. He was a veteran of early combat missions during Russia's invasion and later advocated for Western countries to donate F-16s.
Ukrainian officials say Russian hackers remain focused on infiltrating military planning operations. That includes seizing and trying to crack tablets used on the on the front lines by officers.
Built largely with Western donations, the spa-like retreat provides soldiers with counseling, aromatherapy and more. But most soldiers are there for no more than a week.
Former service members and combat medics from other countries are in Ukraine to train civilians. They typically have just days with new conscripts before they are sent to the front.
Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered equally horrific losses in the war. But when it comes to troop strength, the math is on Russia's side. Its population is four times Ukraine's.
The coming winter may provide Ukraine with more opportunities to retake land from Russia, Western military analysts say. It will also bring a change in battlefield tactics.
