Photos: Ukraine’s neglected army

Militia fighter Asher-Jaseph Cherkassky walks in the yard of an abandoned house in the village of Peski on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 17, 2014 4:13 PM PT

A standing army of 1 million inherited by Ukraine after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union has dwindled to barely 100,000 ill-equipped and ill-prepared forces.

Ukraine militia deputy commander Maxim Dubovsky leads his men through Peski, the frontline village near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

Ukrainian soldiers put tape on their sleeves to identify them as comrades during battle. Defense funding has fallen sharply since Ukraine gained independence in 1991. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

Ukrainian soldiers discuss a battle plan on the outskirts of Donetsk. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

Residents look at lists of missing and captured fighters in the town center of Dnipropetrovsk. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

Militia fighters train in between battles in eastern Ukraine. The regular army’s deterioration has given rise to an array of volunteer units. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)