Civilians take up arms to fight the Russians
KIEV: In a forested area outside Ukraine’s capital Kiev, mock Russian troops ambush camouflage-clad reservists.
The would-be Ukrainian soldiers, who include architects and researchers in their ranks, return fire with replica Kalashnikovs as imitation smoke grenades explode around them.
“I believe that every person in this country should know what to do … if the enemy invades,” Daniil Larin, a 19year-old university student from Kiev, said during a short break from the exercises.
Mr Larin was one of about 50 Ukrainian civilians who drove from the capital to an abandoned Soviet-era asphalt plant to train for how to defend their country in the event of a Russian invasion.
Civilians have been joining Ukraine’s army reserves in recent months, as fears have mounted that Russia – which Kiev says has massed about 100,000 troops on its side of the border – is plotting to launch a large-scale attack.
Ukraine’s army, which totals 215,000 soldiers, has been battling a Moscow-backed insurgency in two breakaway regions since 2014 in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
The Ukrainian reservists have been learning how to handle weapons, how to behave in a battle environment, and how to defend cities.
Marta Yuzkiv, a 51-yearold doctor, believes that the Russian army is “far superior” to Ukraine’s military force, and that the risk of a full-scale invasion is “high enough” to have joined the reserves.
“Only if everyone is ready to defend our land, then there will be a chance that we can win,” she said.