"Back then he was saying he was defending the homeland," says the mother of a Ukrainian soldier in Nikopol', "now [when asking him if wants to fight] he says not to add insult to his injury." On the 500th day since Russia's invasion and as the war grinds on, Ukrainian forces are advancing slowly without enough arms and ammunition and with its main cities under constant threat. Since the beginning of June, Ukraine's army has been on the offensive to reconquer territory captured by Russian forces in the east and the south. While suffering losses, Russian forces are putting up a ferocious resistance. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES