AP PHOTOS: Children in war-torn Ukraine learn the art of war

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in fighting between Russia-backed separatists and government troops in Ukraine's east since 2014, and despite a cease-fire being formally in place, civilians and troops still die and get injured almost on a daily basis. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in a joint report last year said it had received credible allegations of torture and "other egregious abuses" by volunteer battalions including Azov. "Ukraine, holy mother of heroes, come into my heart!" a rank of 100 camouflage-clad children were chanting on a recent evening at the camp outside Kiev, their fists resting on their hearts as the Ukrainian flag was being hoisted. The battalion's far-right views, however, don't scare off parents who typically pay the equivalent of $120 for their children to spend two weeks with tattooed fighters, running in the woods with mock rifles and doing pushups.