The two soldiers, 25-year-old Yevhen, call sign "Izium," and 24-year-old Artem, call sign "Kolobok," had suffered severe limb injuries and were stranded in a contested area about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border.

Artem Koval suffered severe injuries in the drone strike and was taken to hospital. Despite a week of efforts to save him, doctors were unable to overcome his life-threatening injuries, the Vodolaha Village Council said.

"We should (have) some sympathy for the poor Russian conscripts too. Those kids have no choice but to fight and die in drone strikes."

For anyone watching and understanding Ukraine's years-long struggle for survival, the words of SpaceX founder and world's richest man Elon

Companies will still be able to request higher exemption quotas if needed to maintain operations, while the government plans to introduce a new system allowing full exemptions for businesses that help recruit employees for military service.