As fears of a Russian invasion continue to grow, many Ukrainians are sharpening their self-defence skills in order to better prepare themselves, according to a report by AFP. The report highlighted several residents residing in Kyiv and other urban regions are seeing a rise in the number of participants in online webinars which discuss self-defence and measures like building shelters.
Sergiy Vyshnevsky told news agency AFP that Ukrainians are used to war – the Russian annexation of Crimea happened more than half a decade ago – but the urban population were convinced that the war would not come to them. Now as the war approaches or at least seems imminent, Vyshnevsky told attendants that it is necessary for everyone to know how to build a shelter.
In a university lecture hall, Olena Biletska’s class which teaches self-defence to women tells that the health and life of any individual and that of their relatives is their responsibility when such a situation arises. She said that her Ukrainian Women’s Guard organisation has more than 1,000 women interested but many cannot attend due to Covid restrictions.
“Everyone understands that their life and health and the health and lives of their family are their own personal responsibility,” Biletska, who is also a practising lawyer, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
‘At the highest level it is different’
Russian citizens Alla Lavrova, Sofia Vinakova, Dmitry Popov and Vladimir Sidletsky have one thing in common. They could not travel to Ukraine to meet their loved and near ones once the tensions rose. “I am sorry that Russia and Ukraine have developed such relations. We ordinary people have warm, human relationships. But at the highest level – it’s different,” Lavrova was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. Lavrova yearns to meet her siblings whom she has not met for two-three years. Earlier, crossing the border was easy but now due to tedious administrative procedures many Russians feel discouraged to even attempt.
Sofia Vinakova and her family in Ukraine and Russia have called truce. They do not discuss politics while speaking on video call. “In Ukraine they say it’s Russia’s fault. Here, it’s the opposite. We came to the conclusion that talking about it would be useless. Politics is politics. We are family,” she was quoted as saying.
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