STORY: 22-year-old Ukrainian border guard Stanislav Hulenkov was a rising judo star. But his dream was destroyed by war. He was killed defending his country against Russia's full scale invasion. His mother Iryna told Reuters he was determined to succeed but first he wanted to serve his country. “All the conventions, all the competitions took a backseat because of the war. He had to learn how to hold a rifle, shoot a grenade launcher, train at a shooting range, dig trenches. The focus was on the war and preparation for it.” Before the war, Hulenkov had been competing for a spot on Ukraine's national team. As the Summer Olympics opens in Paris this week, Ukraine is mourning athletes like Hulenkov whose sporting promise was cut short as the conflict grinds towards its 30th month. At least 488 Ukrainian athletes and trainers have been killed since 2022, Around two dozen who had been European or world champions in their discipline, according to a sports ministry spokesman. Hulenkov's close friend and training partner Vadym Chernov tried to convince him to apply for leave from the military to attend the Ukraine Cup but he refused. “I said, ‘Stas, I still have your name tag’, and he said, ‘You can give it back later, when you have the time.’ And it so happened that I couldn’t give this name tag back to him. Now this name tag travels to every competition with me. This is such a memento. As if he also travels to competitions with me.” Despite threats to boycott the Games, Kyiv is sending 140 athletes and 95 coaches, a smaller delegation than in peacetime. They've trained amid regular Russian air strikes that have ravaged critical infrastructure and plunged cities across Ukraine into darkness. Athletes from Russia, and Belarus which allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch its invasion, are participating in the Games as neutrals, barred from singing anthems or displaying flags and emblems.

Several thousand mourners attended the funeral Monday in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv for former lawmaker Iryna Farion, best known for her campaign to promote the Ukrainian language. Farion, 60, was shot in the street by an unknown assailant on Friday and later died from her wounds in a hospital. (AP video shot by: Alex Babenko)

STORY: Ukraine start ups are developing Artificial Intelligence systems to fly fleets of drones, in a race to gain a technological edge in their battle against the Russian invasion. Kyiv hopes AI-enabled drones on the front line will combat increasing signal jamming by Russia And enable unmanned aerial vehicles to work in larger groups. AI-drone development in Ukraine is helping identify targets and fly drones into them, navigation, and more complex programs including interconnected "swarms." Swarmer is one of many tech firms developing software linking a large number of drones that would be beyond human's capacity to control. Decisions can be made instantly across the group through AI, with a human only stepping in to green-light automated strikes. CEO of Swarmer Serhiy Kupriienko explains how it works. "You have 25 drones approaching your position. You just hit them all. That's one story. And it's a different story when you hit the first drone and every other drone just changes its trajectory and attacks you from different sides. This is what makes swarming so powerful and so scary at the same time. And that's why every single modern Western military doctrine has swarming as a part of decade-long planning, or strategy. " The software, called Styx, directs a web of reconnaissance and strike drones in the air and on the ground. It's still under development and has only been trialed on the battlefield experimentally. Here's employee Yaryk explaining how it operates. "The drone now flies on autopilot mode using our software. We assigned it with a mission and it built its own flying route, we just told it that it shouldn't fly through certain areas, we gave it a no-fly zone. It now flies along these restricted areas." As both sides roll out electronic warfare that disrupt signals between pilots and drones, hit rates of non-AI-drones are decreasing. Some of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes targeting military facilities and oil refineries hundreds of miles inside Russia are already using swarming methods. However, there are ethical concerns for the use of weapons that aren’t operated by humans. A 2020 European Parliament research paper warned that such systems could commit violations of international humanitarian law and lower the threshold of going to war.

STORY: By torchlight Ukrainian mother Margaryta Zakharchuk carries her child up to her 12th floor apartment, the lift is out due to a blackout. She is one of millions of Ukrainians struggling amid a record heat wave, compounded by regular power cuts making air conditioning units and refrigerators useless. “The first thing that has changed is that we don’t cook much anymore. Secondly, we cannot store products in the fridge for a long time. For example, curd snacks for children spoil quickly. On the second or third day, they are not edible anymore. That’s why we only buy food that we can eat today or tomorrow.” Regular Russian air strikes have ravaged the country's energy system leading to hours-long rolling blackouts. The Central Geophysical Observatory said on Tuesday (July 16) it had clocked a record-high 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit in Kyiv for July 15. Temperatures on Tuesday were expected to reach even higher. “During the heatwave, we cannot use the air conditioner. We are trying to survive using the shower. We bathe children in the water or we try to be outside in the park if we can.” Store owners, like Viktoriia, battle increased costs from running generators and product losses. “We suffer a lot. Blackouts last for six-eight hours during the day and it is a problem for dairy and ice cream. We don’t order a lot of milk, butter because it spoils. We have to return products.” Ukraine's broader economy is also struggling in the heat. State weather forecasters say the harvest of late crops could decline by up to 30% in central, southern and eastern regions. The country's grid operator announced new emergency power shutdowns for some consumers in seven areas - but not including Kyiv - due to the heatwave following a failure of equipment. The energy ministry has urged consumers to conserve energy and minimize the use of powerful electrical appliances to preserve the grid.

STORY: :: July 14, 2024 :: Kyiv, Ukraine :: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian President "An attempt on the life of Donald Trump. An appalling crime. One that can only be condemned and which shows how serious the global challenges to democracy are right now. Violence in any form and anywhere must never prevail. I am confident that America will rise to the challenge. I wish Mr. Trump a speedy recovery. Strength and support to all who have been affected." "An appalling crime. One that can only be condemned," he said in a video address. "Violence in any form and anywhere must never prevail. I am confident that America will rise to the challenge." Zelenskiy wrote on X he was "relieved" that Trump, who has frequently criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, was safe and wished him "a speedy recovery." Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13) in what authorities said they were treating as an assassination attempt. The Trump campaign later said he was "doing well" and appeared to have suffered no major injury besides a wound on his upper right ear.

As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, aid for Ukraine and prospects of Donald Trump’s re-election trigger the biggest changes within the bloc since the Cold War.

President Biden accidentally introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by calling him “President Putin” during a NATO summit event on Thursday evening.

STORY: :: 24 Channel :: July 10, 2024 :: Washington, D.C. :: Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister :: “I can’t share the route of F-16s jets. When we see them in Ukrainian skies, I think all the questions will be answered. There are two moments of principle here. First, we promised that in summer 2024 F-16s will be fighting in Ukrainian skies. This promise is fulfilled.” :: “Second, this is just the first wave. We need more jets. The issue of the first wave of supply has been resolved. We are working for the future to increase the number of F-16s that will be transferred to Ukraine, to receive other models of Western fighter jets, to receive the remaining MiG-29s that are still in service of our friendly countries and which we can receive.“ Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the first batch of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer. A joint statement from the leaders of the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands said the Danish and Dutch governments were in the process of donating American-made F-16s to Ukraine.

In their most serious rebuke against Beijing, NATO allies on Wednesday called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia's war against Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday at the NATO summit that American-made F-16 fighter jets are on their way to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. CBS News intelligence and national security reporter Olivia Gazis has more on the news coming out of the summit.

STORY: :: NATO's chief says 'all allies agree that Ukraine will become a member' :: Jens Stoltenberg :: NATO Secretary-General "All allies agree that Ukraine will become a member, but it's too early to say exactly when that will happen. What I can say is that we are moving together with Ukraine closer and closer to NATO membership. And we do that by concrete actions. Because Ukraine's membership is partly about the language, the wording, we will agree on later today in the NATO declaration about membership for Ukraine. But it also is very much about the concrete actions that are being taken to move Ukraine closer to membership." :: Washington, D.C. :: July 10, 2024 Stoltenberg said NATO allies were expected to agree to a "substantial" package for Ukraine and would expand other partnerships particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Stoltenberg said the package would involve a new NATO command for Ukraine to provide security assistance and training, and a long-term pledge to continue and sustain support for Kyiv. He said there would be new announcements of immediate military support, including air defense and moves to ensure full interoperability between Ukrainian forces and NATO forces. He also said he expected allies to reiterate a commitment that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.

Speaking during a visit to Austria, Narendra Modi said "problems cannot be solved on the battlefield", while discussing Ukraine during a news conference. Modi made the statements during a news conference which marked what he said was the first visit to Austria by an Indian Prime Minister in 41 years. He added that India was "ready to provide all possible support" to achieve peace in Ukraine.

President Joe Biden announces the U.S. and an array of other NATO allies will send Ukraine dozens of air defense systems in the coming months that Kyiv has been desperately seeking to help fight off Russian advances in the war.

The NATO summit in Washington, D.C., will focus on Ukraine's potential future path into the alliance and aid to soldiers currently battling Russia. CBS News intelligence and national security reporter Olivia Gazis reports.