Ukrainians with little to no military experience take up arms to defend their country
CNA spoke to volunteer soldiers in Kyiv and was also granted rare access to an army base in Northern England where new Ukrainian recruits are being trained.
Among the ordinary Ukrainians who have chosen to defend their country is 50-year-old Lesya Ganzha who was a journalist and editor-in-chief of a news website.
KYIV: From journalists to researchers, ordinary Ukrainians have taken up arms to repel Russian attacks on their country.
Though many have little or no military experience, they are determined to bolster the Ukrainian forces, which are heavily outnumbered.
Among them is 50-year-old Lesya Ganzha who was a journalist and editor-in-chief of a news website. After Russia’s invasion, she joined the Kyiv Territorial Defence Force, serving as, among other roles, a drone pilot.
“From the beginning of the war, I worked as a war reporter. And for me, it was a very logical step to be a soldier,” she said.
“I just began to train in the army, and I’ve never piloted a drone before the war, and as for me, it’s a big challenge because it’s very difficult to study something new,” she added.
Ms Ganzha said she is prepared to stay in her new military role for as long as it takes.
Despite her own commitment, Ms Ganzha is not in favour of her 27-year-old daughter joining the army, out of fear for her safety.
PROTECTING THEIR COUNTRY
Mr Bohdan Skopnenko, 34, has also joined the army. He was a researcher before the war, and now serves as an infantryman.
“It’s my country, and Russians came to kill us, all of us, and I have no choice. Only one thing I was able to do was to go to the army and to protect my country, my home,” he said.
Mr Bohdan said that because the invasion took place so quickly, he barely had time to train as a soldier. Just a week after the war started, he was involved in his first battle near Kyiv.
“It’s very easy to lose a life, so we have to understand that every day for us can be our last. Because we have no other chance to stay alive. And I think we already win because we have our freedom and our independence,” he said, choking back tears.
The war has become Europe’s biggest and deadliest since World War II and despite tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, the conflict is continuing with no end in sight.
Last week, as Ukraine marked the first anniversary of the Russian invasion on Feb 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to push for victory this year as he congratulated Ukrainians on their resilience.
HELP FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
It is not just the Ukrainians who are helping with the war effort.
Mr Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian National Legion, said he has volunteer soldiers from more than 30 countries. He said they are involved in special operations and working on the frontlines, fighting for Ukraine.
“I speak personally to them. Before joining us, they are having an interview with me, and after the interview, I decide if they might be accepted or not. Because we do not accept any guys with any radical views,” he said.
This is important because the legion works as a team, he said.
Training is another area Ukraine is getting help from outside for, as fierce fighting continues in parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Some 3,000km from the front line, new Ukrainian recruits are taught the basics of urban warfare in the United Kingdom (UK).
CNA was granted rare access to an army base in northern England, where training is conducted by a broad coalition of countries, including the British Army, the Swedish Armed Forces and Dutch Marines.
“It’s difficult, but you see a beautiful learning curve. You see them on day 1, and they’re a little bit afraid and you see them grow and grow and grow, until week 3, 4 or 5,” said Corporal Clemens of the Netherlands Marines.
Trench warfare training has been added at the request of the Ukrainian armed forces, as it has now become part of the drawn-out conflict.
Ukrainian army recruit Artem said that he is grateful for the professional instructors.
“The instructors' skill level is very high. You can feel it by the level of workload they offer us. But we are ready for the fight, we are motivated, we came here specifically to gain this experience and use it in the future during the liberation of our country,” he said.
The UK has offered to train another 20,000 new recruits by the end of the year.
