Photos from Kiev show Ukrainian schoolchildren being taught about different varieties of explosives in preparation for the feared Russian invasion. Most international observers feel that the Ukrainians don’t stand a chance if left to fend for themselves against a full-scale Russian invasion. Residents of Kiev are putting on a brave face anyway, with even children being included in civilian safety lessons organized by local police forces.
Ukrainians brace themselves for invasion
One image shows a group of children watching intently as a police officer points to a table covered with artillery shells, grenades, and landmines.
The Ukrainian military may be vastly outclassed by the Russians, but the government hopes that rallying civilians into embracing a spirit of national resistance might give Vladimir Putin second thoughts.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have joined militia units, which are officially supported by the government and included in the National Guard.
These generally well-equipped and highly motivated fighters will likely make a vital contribution to a Ukrainian defense if the Russians invade with the roughly 100,000 troops positioned on the border.
The most feared of the militia units is the infamous Azov Battalion, a semi-openly fascist paramilitary group which employs SS symbolism and has been controversial from its inception.
The Azov Battalion says that it is prepared to launch a guerilla war and fight to the death if the rest of the country falls to the Russians.
Militias expanding
That kind of determination seems to be popular with Ukrainians at the moment, but it’s impossible to know what will happen if the country experiences the reality of a Russian onslaught.
The Afghan military vowed to fight back against a Taliban offensive last year and when the time came the insurgents were able to conquer the whole country almost unopposed.
The Ukrainian situation is different, but not entirely unrelated. Putin was almost certainly emboldened by the Afghanistan debacle.
If children are being taught about explosives then it would appear that the Ukrainians are a bit more serious about fighting back.
The government hopes to recruit more than 100,000 new volunteers for a national militia, to be trained and equipped in an organized fashion.
If the Russians invade then this new wave of manpower will be desperately needed. Are Ukrainians passionate enough about their independence to make it happen?
