More than 100,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly standing rifle at foot along the Ukrainian border. Even if there hasn’t been an open military confrontation so far, the saber-rattling is getting louder. Should the Kremlin actually order the invasion, the Ukrainians would be faced with overwhelming odds.
According to a report by the British BBC, the Ukrainians are far less convinced than their Western allies that the powder keg will actually explode in the end. But talk of impending war fuels fears. “I was pretty upset last week; I even went to my psychologist for help,” says Dmytro Dubas, who volunteered to join Ukrainian troops in 2014 to fight against Russia in the country’s east. Even now he is again preparing for the worst: he has filled up the car, bought groceries for emergencies and registered with the national defense to refresh his military knowledge.
Although the Ukrainian government is trying to quell any potential hysteria, drills for bomb alerts and airstrikes are already being held in Kiev’s schools, the BBC reports. Official instructions for putting together emergency luggage were circulating on social media, and people were eagerly planning escape routes – mostly to the west.
“The enemy is on our border. So everyone should be prepared”
Like Dubas, many Ukrainians are practicing arms in order to be able to defend themselves and their country in an emergency. According to the BBC, even pensioners take part in military exercises at weekends in a forested area outside of Kiev. They are actually too old to sign formal contracts, but the trainers do not turn them away. “The enemy is on our border, so everyone should be prepared,” 64-year-old Serhiy Kalinin told the news channel.
In the event of war, the regular troops would simply be dependent on the support of civilians. “We will fight if something happens. Our people are ready to fight. There will be shots from every window if [die Russen] invade,” said a Ukrainian official. “We will never surrender,” said architect Denys Semyroh-Orlyk. “We take every opportunity to train. That’s why I think Putin should be afraid of us.”
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Source: Stern
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