PHOENIX — Members of the MAGA faithful gathered here Thursday to kick off Turning Point USA’s America Fest, the largest meeting for the organization since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot to death on a Utah college campus in September.
Despite that somber backdrop, the event quickly devolved into a spectacle of MAGA infighting.
Ben Shapiro, the first speaker after widow Erika Kirk, ripped into those who would take the same stage in the coming hours and days. He called out conservative commentators, blasting Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon as “frauds and grifters.”
“The conservative movement is in serious danger,” Shapiro said, arguing the danger is not just on the left, but “from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.”
He called Bannon “a PR flack for Jeffrey Epstein” ahead of the imminent release of files related to the late convicted sex offender, while praising President Donald Trump and his administration's handling of the issue. Trump pushed to stop Republicans in Congress from voting to release the files, though he signed the legislation once it was passed. Both Bannon and Trump appear in photos with Epstein that were released by House Democrats.
Shapiro particularly focused on Carlson — both for elevating Owens’ conspiracy theories about Kirk's murder and for his recent interview with far-right influencer Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier who has repeatedly pushed antisemitic tropes. Carlson, a former Fox News host, now hosts his show on X and routinely garners millions of views.
“The people who refused to condemn Candace’s truly vicious attacks — and some of them are speaking here tonight — are guilty of cowardice,” Shapiro said, adding later: “If you host a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse like Nick Fuentes … you ought to own it.”
Both the Fuentes interview and Owens’ conspiracies have embroiled the party in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Shapiro called on the Heritage Foundation, the powerful conservative think tank whose president defended the interview, to change its tune about Carlson’s elevation of Fuentes.
Carlson responded with heat of his own from the stage Thursday.
“That guy is pompous,” Carlson said, saying he “laughed” while watching clips of Shapiro's speech backstage. “Calls to deplatform at a Charlie Kirk event? That’s hilarious.”
Carlson went on to rail against cancel culture, and promised the crowd that he was not antisemitic. “Antisemitism is not just naughty, it’s immoral,” he said.
Erika Kirk addressed the MAGA movement’s fractures, while casting her late husband as a rare unifier and pleading with the crowd to embrace disagreement. “You won’t agree with everyone on this stage this weekend,” she said. “And that's okay. Welcome to America.”
The event wasn’t entirely heated. Actor Russell Brand — who spoke between Shapiro and Carlson — focused on Christianity, while sprinkling attacks on vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry into his remarks. And earlier in the day, attendees danced to upbeat music, repeatedly chanted “USA” and celebrated Trump’s return to the White House at the Phoenix Convention Center, which is plastered with imagery of Charlie Kirk. More than 30,000 people gathered for the event.
Kirk’s influence on young people was particularly evident, with thousands of high school and college attendees, some of whom posed for photos in front of a tent that resembled the one Kirk was speaking in front of when he was shot during “The American Comeback Tour.”
Erika Kirk — who now serves as Turning Point’s CEO — said 80 percent of attendees had never been to America Fest before, and one-third of them were students. More than 140,000 people have submitted requests to join the organization since Kirk’s death, bringing the membership to over 1 million people across 4,000 chapters at high schools and colleges, she added.
While the group has welcomed speakers from across the conservative movement, it made clear choices about which politicians to welcome to the stage, providing a glimpse into how the organization hopes to shape the future of the GOP. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and GOP Rep. Mike Collins, both candidates for Senate, and gubernatorial hopefuls Andy Biggs of Arizona and Byron Donalds of Florida, were given slots on the main stage.
Erika Kirk also made a point of promising to elevate Vice President JD Vance — who will close the event on Sunday — to the White House in 2028. Vance leads early polls of the likely GOP field.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said.
The Bank of Japan moved to slow inflation as the prime minister is borrowing more to fund an ambitious effort to build up industry and support households.
The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack - its deadliest mass shooting in decades.
The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology", opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country's most iconic beach.
On Friday police said a group of men who were arrested in Sydney after travelling from the state of Victoria had "extremist Islamic ideology".
Police allege Sunday's attack, which they have declared a terrorist incident, was committed by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.
The day after the shooting, national cabinet - which includes representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories - agreed to tighten gun controls.
Speaking to media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.
"We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney's suburbs... There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.
"We need to get more guns off our streets."
Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC seven men arrested by counter terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been on their way to Bondi.
Tactical officers swarmed on the group, who had travelled from Victoria and were known to police there, in dramatic scenes in the suburb of Liverpool.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said "some indication" that Bondi was one of the locations they were considering visiting, but "with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage".
Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to swoop before their plans developed.
"We made the decision that we weren't going to … take any chances in relation to what they might be doing," he said.
Officers found a knife, but no guns or other weapons, Mr Hudson added.
'Blow' samples, as well as skin biopsies, were collected and screened for infectious agents
Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.
Scientists flew drones equipped with special kit through the exhaled droplets, or "blows", made when the giants come up to breathe through their blowholes.
They detected a highly infectious virus linked to mass strandings of whales and dolphins worldwide.
The sampling of whale "blow" is a "game-changer" for the health and well-being of whales, said Prof Terry Dawson of King's College London.
"It allows us to monitor pathogens in live whales without stress or harm, providing critical insights into diseases in rapidly changing Arctic ecosystems," he said.
The researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture droplets from the exhaled breath of humpback, fin and sperm whales, combined with skin biopsies taken from boats.
They confirmed for the first time that a potentially deadly whale virus, known as cetacean morbillivirus, is circulating above the Arctic Circle.
The disease is highly contagious and spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises causing severe disease and mass deaths.
It can jump between species and travel across oceans, posing a significant threat to marine mammals.
The researchers hope this breakthrough will help spot deadly threats to ocean life early, before they start to spread.
Nord University
The researchers sampled humpback, sperm, and fin whales across the North-East Atlantic
"Going forward, the priority is to continue using these methods for long-term surveillance, so we can understand how multiple emerging stressors will shape whale health in the coming years," said Helena Costa of Nord University, Norway.
The study, involving King's College London and The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in the UK, and Nord University in Norway is published in BMC Veterinary Research.
'An absolute superhero': father describes how Jess saved his daughter
When bullets began flying at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn't find their three-year-olds.
In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who'd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn't make it far.
The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.
Wayne's body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.
"We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity," he tells the BBC.
Unbeknown to him, Jessica's gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone - calling out for her mummy and daddy.
In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn't protect her own child, so she'd protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi's body with her own, and uttered "I've got you", over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.
By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.
"I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies," he says, growing emotional.
"What I saw - no human should ever see that."
Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red - but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.
"She said she's just a mother and she acted with mother instincts," Wayne says.
"[But] she's a superhero. We'll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives."
It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia's darkest days.
Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Chris Minns/Facebook
Chris Minns says Ahmed al Ahmed is a "genuine hero"
More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren't for Ahmed al Ahmed.
A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he'd been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed "saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted".
Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.
Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.
Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.
"He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger," Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.
He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most."
The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he'd just climbed out of and killed them.
Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," the couple's family said in a statement.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."
The list goes on.
Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.
Jack Hibbert - a beat cop just four months into the job - was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn't, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.
Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn't even pause to put on shoes.
Alexandra Ching/Instagram
Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them
Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who'd been sent into a panic by the shooting.
Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.
But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.
"We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people," says Mr Xu.
Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.
Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday - from as far as two hours away - simply because they knew there was a need.
Healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, whether or not they were on shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.
"Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent's Hospital]. There were eight operating at once," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.
"This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night," he said, the day after the attack.
Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.
When he speaks to the BBC, he's just attended a funeral for the gunmen's youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
"I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes... I could have been in the front... It could have been my little girl."
"There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people... someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.
The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, is blocking the publication of trans guidance that would require businesses and public bodies to protect women-only spaces, describing them as "trans-exclusive", according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also focuses on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's criticism of the government's plan to tackle misogyny in schools, saying it must look at immigration from cultures that "don't respect women". And the Prince and Princess of Wales' outdoor family Christmas photo with their three children takes the top picture spot under the caption "Fresh heir".
A photo of actress Olivia Coleman at the launch of Labour's strategy to stop violence against women and girls is splashed across the Metro's front page. The government has revealed a raft of new measures aimed at cracking down on the "national emergency" and change men's behaviours towards women.
The Independent follows with their lead on the government's vow to make women and girls "safe at last". The paper also focuses on a call from Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips for "all of society to step up and end the epidemic of abuse and violence that shames or country". Elsewhere, a smiling Rory McIlroy lifts the trophy for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The i Paper is predicts a "mortgage price war in spring" after the Bank of England cut interest rates to 3.75%, the lowest since 2023. Mortgage brokers are hoping for a "golden era of house buying" early in the new year as the central bank expects inflation to fall quicker than expected, the paper says.
The signs of cooling inflation also makes the Financial Times' lead story. Elsewhere, there are fears of financial reprisals by Russia among some EU states if a move to agree to a multi-billion euro loan in frozen Russian money to fund Ukraine's military and economic needs goes ahead. According to the paper, last year Western businesses held at least $127bn of assets in Russia.
Staying with Russia, the Daily Express features comments by Badenoch, who says the Tories are the only party to have the "competence" to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats. The Conservative leader added that the UK could not afford complacency and must "face down" Russia, the paper reports.
In news closer to home, nearly 10 million voters face having their local elections delayed until 2027 as part of Labour's plans to reorganise local government, the Times reports. The paper says the government has asked more than 60 districts and county councils if they want to suspend elections due to take place in May next year.
"Labour's running scared of voters" is the Daily Mail's take. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has likened the move to the actions of a "dictator" the paper says.
The Guardian turns its attention to the new photos from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's estate released by US House Democrats. Among the new batch of images are what appear to be lines from the novel Lolita written on different parts of a woman's body, the paper says.
As Christmas nears, around 1.8 million people will spend the day alone, says the Daily Mirror. The results from a poll have prompted pleas from ministers for people to "pop in on a pal" and look out for their lonely neighbours.
The Sun reports that former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner is suing the BBC over claims the broadcaster rigged voting to kick him off the show. A BBC spokesperson said: "Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is robust and independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy."
Finally, the Daily Star pays tribute to darts ace Ally Pally's "lucky wasp", which was sadly swatted and killed after it landed on PDC World Championship winner David Munyua's face. "Rest sting peace" is the headline.
The Milwaukee judge was charged with obstructing federal immigration agents, who were trying to arrest a man who had appeared before her on a battery charge.
PHOENIX. Arizona — Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk has endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president, an early sign of influential support for a likely leading candidate in 2028.
Kirk, who took over leadership of Turning Point after her husband, Charlie, was killed in September, announced her decision during a speech Thursday at the organization’s America Fest conference in Phoenix.
Vance is scheduled to speak at the conference on Sunday.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” Kirk said.
Vance has not yet committed to running in 2028, but as vice president he is widely expected to seek the White House. TPUSA — founded by Charlie Kirk — holds major influence for the MAGA movement, particularly among young conservatives, and the early endorsement could give an early lead among the Republican hopefuls.
“My attitude is the American people elected me to be vice president,” Vance told the New York Post in October. “I’m going to work as hard as I can to make the president successful over the next three years and three months, and if we get to a point where something else is in the offer, let’s handle it then.”
Kirk made the endorsement in front of a crowd of thousands of people, many of whom are ardent supporters of President Donald Trump — and they responded with resounding applause.
Vance and Charlie Kirk were particularly close before Kirk's death.
A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people who have died in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.
The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC's US partner, reported.
The small aircraft crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), aviation officials investigating the incident told reporters.
Congressman Rich Hudson of North Carolina appeared to confirm Biffle's death on X, writing that he was devastated by the loss of the racer, his wife Christina and their children.
"Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track," Hudson wrote, praising their aid work during hurricanes in North Carolina and Jamaica.
Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.
"Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us," he wrote on Facebook. "We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this."
Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.
It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.
The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
Getty Images
Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year's Nascar Winter Heat Series., according to his Nascar profile.
He quickly made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.
He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.
He also co-founded the organisation's Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.
"Racing is racing," he told Nascar.com in 2021. "It's that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition."
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack - its deadliest mass shooting in decades.
The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology", opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country's most iconic beach.
On Friday police said a group of men who were arrested in Sydney after travelling from the state of Victoria had "extremist Islamic ideology".
Police allege Sunday's attack, which they have declared a terrorist incident, was committed by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.
The day after the shooting, national cabinet - which includes representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories - agreed to tighten gun controls.
Speaking to media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.
"We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney's suburbs... There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.
"We need to get more guns off our streets."
Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC seven men arrested by counter terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been on their way to Bondi.
Tactical officers swarmed on the group, who had travelled from Victoria and were known to police there, in dramatic scenes in the suburb of Liverpool.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said "some indication" that Bondi was one of the locations they were considering visiting, but "with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage".
Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to swoop before their plans developed.
"We made the decision that we weren't going to … take any chances in relation to what they might be doing," he said.
Officers found a knife, but no guns or other weapons, Mr Hudson added.
在以前的节目中，我曾经给大家讲过“短语的奴隶”——slave of phrases。这是教育普及后出现的一个观察力萎缩现象。人们从书上看到一个词，一个短语，像“平庸的恶”“恶的平庸”之类，就被这个词，这个短语牵着鼻子走，成了短语的奴隶，不再观察，不再思考，不再用现实来矫正概念的偏颇。明明现实中的恶，一点都不平庸，但不少人一看到阿伦特说“平庸的恶”“恶的平庸”，就觉深刻，就放弃了自己的眼睛和头脑。
There is no official data of how many Ukrainian soldiers have died by suicide
This article contains distressing details and references to suicide. Some of the names have been changed to protect identities.
Kateryna cannot talk about her son, Orest, without tears. Her voice trembles with anger as she explains how she found out the news that he had died on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2023.
According to the official investigation by the army, he died by a "self-inflicted wound", something Katernya finds hard to believe.
Kateryna has asked for her and her late son to remain anonymous due to the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health in Ukraine.
Orest was a quiet 25-year-old who loved books and dreamed of an academic career. His poor eyesight had made him initially unfit for service at the start of the war, his mother says.
But in 2023, a recruitment patrol stopped him in the street. His eyesight was re-evaluated and he was deemed fit to fight. Not long after, he was sent to the front as a communications specialist.
EPA
The Ukrainian army along the frontline near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk
While Ukraine collectively mourns the loss of more than 45,000 soldiers who have died since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a quieter tragedy unfolds in the shadows.
There are no official statistics surrounding suicide among soldiers. Officials describe them as isolated incidents. Yet human rights advocates and bereaved families believe they may be in the hundreds.
"Orest was caught, not summoned," Kateryna says bitterly.
The local recruitment centre denied wrongdoing to the BBC, saying impaired vision made Orest "partially fit" during wartime.
Once deployed near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, Orest became increasingly withdrawn and depressed, Kateryna recalls.
She still writes letters to her son every day - 650 and counting - her grief made worse by how Ukraine classifies suicide as a non-combat loss. Families of those who take their own lives receive no compensation, no military honours and no public recognition.
"In Ukraine, it's as if we've been divided," says Kateryna. "Some died the right way, and others died the wrong way."
"The state took my son, sent him to war, and brought me back a body in a bag. That's it. No help, no truth, nothing."
Reuters
A funeral with military honours held in Lviv for a soldier killed in combat
For Mariyana from Kyiv, the story is heartbreakingly similar. She too wishes to keep her identity and her late husband's hidden.
Her husband Anatoliy volunteered to fight in 2022. He was initially refused because of his lack of military experience but he "kept coming back until they took him", she says with a faint smile.
Anatoliy was deployed as a machine-gunner near Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
"He said that, after one mission, about 50 guys were killed," Maryana recalls. "He came back different; quiet; distant."
After losing part of his arm, Anatoliy was sent to hospital. One evening, after a phone call with his wife, he took his own life in the hospital yard.
"The war broke him," she says through tears. "He couldn't live with what he'd seen."
Because Anatoliy died by suicide, officials denied him a military burial.
"When he stood on the front line, he was useful. But now he's not a hero?"
Mariyana feels betrayed: "The state threw me to the roadside. I gave them my husband, and they left me alone with nothing."
She has also felt stigma from other widows.
Mariyana's husband was denied an official burial and she feels a sense of betrayal
Her only source of support is an online community of women like her - widows of soldiers who took their own lives.
They want the government to change the law, so that their bereaved families have the same rights and recognition.
Viktoria, who we met in Lviv, still cannot talk about her husband's death publicly for fear of condemnation.
Her husband Andriy had a congenital heart condition, but insisted on joining the army. He became a driver in a reconnaissance unit and witnessed some of the most intense battles, including the liberation of Kherson.
In June 2023, Viktoria received a phone call telling her Andriy had taken his own life.
"It was like the world had collapsed," she says.
His body arrived 10 days later, but she was told she could not see it.
An attorney she later hired found inconsistencies in the investigation into his death. The photos from the scene made her doubt the official version of her husband's death. The Ukrainian military has since agreed to reopen the investigation, recognising failures.
Now she is fighting to re-open the case: "I'm fighting for his name. He can't defend himself anymore. My war isn't over."
Oksana Borkun runs a support community for military widows.
Her organisation now includes about 200 families bereaved by suicide.
"If it's suicide, then he's not a hero - that's what people think," she says. "Some churches refuse to hold funerals. Some towns won't put up their photos on memorial walls."
Many of these families doubt the official explanations of death. "Some cases are simply written off too quickly," she adds. "And some mothers open the coffin and find bodies covered in bruises."
Military chaplain Father Borys Kutovyi says he has seen at least three suicides in his command since the full-scale invasion began. But to him even one is too many.
"Every suicide means we failed somewhere."
He believes that many recruited soldiers, unlike career servicemen, are especially psychologically vulnerable.
Both Osksana and Father Borys say those who died by suicide should be considered heroes.
Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights Olha Reshetylova wants reforms to the current system
Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine's Commissioner for Veterans' Rights, says she receives reports of up to four military suicides each month and admits not enough is being done: "They've seen hell. Even the strongest minds can break."
She says her office is pushing for systemic reform but it can take years to set up a good military psychology unit.
"Families have a right to the truth," she says. "They don't trust investigators. In some cases, suicides may cover up murders."
When it comes to honouring theses soldiers as military heroes, she prefers to look to the future.
"These people were your neighbours, your colleagues," says Ms Reshetylova. "They've walked through hell. The warmer we welcome them, there will be fewer tragedies"
With additional reporting by Kevin McGregor, Oleksii Nazaruk and Phoebe Hopson.
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