Kyiv's ragtag volunteer force fights stealth invader
DEFENDING THEIR BOURGEOIS REVOLUTION
Bob, the nom de guerre of a Kyiv volunteer unit, admits 'we have a very strong enemy in front of us' (AFP/Daniel LEAL)
Dmitry ZAKS
Fri, February 25, 2022,
Ukrainian historian Yuriy Korchemniy has never fired an assault rifle in his life.
But he joined scores of others and picked up a Kalashnikov when boxes of them were dumped from trucks and handed out to Ukraine's new volunteer defence units on day two of Russia's invasion.
"They gave out the rifles, loaded them for us and here we are," the 35-year-old said with a slightly sheepish grin.
The Kyiv bridge underpass he was guarding with a handful of other men -- some in their 50s -- leads to Western-backed President Volodymyr Zelensky's administrative complex.
The reverse side of the road runs through a working-class district of Soviet-style tower blocks that witnessed a deadly shootout with a small group of Russian forces only a few hours earlier.
An AFP team saw a middle-aged civilian who was killed in the clash carried away by ambulance workers.
One witness said the civilian was cut down by bullets fired by the Russians from a speeding armoured vehicle.
Korchemniy seemed slightly uncertain about his role in defending the Ukrainian capital against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading forces.
"I only know how to shoot single rounds, so my plan is to click this here and switch off the automatic mode," he said, cautiously patting the shiny weapon.
A surreal sense of fighting ghosts has descended on this once-bustling city of three million people.
- Fighting ghosts -
Sirens wail and thudding booms crash across swathes of Kyiv at random hours.
The deserted streets are distinguished by pockets of nervous-looking soldiers and oddly relaxed volunteers shuffling from foot to foot and smoking.
Pedestrians who venture out look almost oblivious to the danger.
Some are glued to their phone screens and one couple was spotted jogging with their puppy.
But the Russians -- their advance toward the city's gates confirmed by the distant blasts and empty bullet casings scattered on intersections -- are nowhere to be seen.
A masked volunteer unit commander who goes by the nom de guerre "Bob" admitted he had no idea where the Russians go after attacking.
"I don't know," the commander said. "I have one man injured. This street was hit with bullets -- and not the ordinary bullets like in my machine gun. We have smaller bullets. The Russians use much bigger bullets."
Ukraine's once-dilapidated armed forces have been beefed up by years of steady Western assistance and an urgent flurry of arms shipments aimed at deterring Putin.
But they remain an over-stretched and out-gunned force.
- 'Try our best' -
Government troops had focused for eight years on fighting Russian-backed insurgents on a frozen frontline in the east -- then Putin invaded from three directions at once.
This forced Ukraine to scramble to send reinforcements to the northern frontier by Belarus and the southern one by Kremlin-annexed Crimea.
The military then urged anyone between the age of 18 and 60 to pick up a gun and get ready to fight.
Paragliding instructor Roman Bondertsev said he heeded the call "because it's better than being at home doing nothing. This way I am less afraid".
"And if I get shot, there will be two people ready to come take my weapon and take my place," the 47-year-old said.
The extreme sports coach was better able to contain his anger at the Russian invasion than mechanic Ruslan Bitsman.
"I've never served," Bitsman admitted.
"But it's my country -- my country, you understand. You ask what I think about Putin? Only unprintable things."
Yet both men admitted facing difficult odds keeping the Russians from blowing past their positions.
"I only took a weapon in my hands for the first time yesterday. What can you do? We will try our best," Bondertsev said.
Bob, the nom de guerre of a Kyiv volunteer unit, admits 'we have a very strong enemy in front of us' (AFP/Daniel LEAL)
Dmitry ZAKS
Fri, February 25, 2022,
Ukrainian historian Yuriy Korchemniy has never fired an assault rifle in his life.
But he joined scores of others and picked up a Kalashnikov when boxes of them were dumped from trucks and handed out to Ukraine's new volunteer defence units on day two of Russia's invasion.
"They gave out the rifles, loaded them for us and here we are," the 35-year-old said with a slightly sheepish grin.
The Kyiv bridge underpass he was guarding with a handful of other men -- some in their 50s -- leads to Western-backed President Volodymyr Zelensky's administrative complex.
The reverse side of the road runs through a working-class district of Soviet-style tower blocks that witnessed a deadly shootout with a small group of Russian forces only a few hours earlier.
An AFP team saw a middle-aged civilian who was killed in the clash carried away by ambulance workers.
One witness said the civilian was cut down by bullets fired by the Russians from a speeding armoured vehicle.
Korchemniy seemed slightly uncertain about his role in defending the Ukrainian capital against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading forces.
"I only know how to shoot single rounds, so my plan is to click this here and switch off the automatic mode," he said, cautiously patting the shiny weapon.
A surreal sense of fighting ghosts has descended on this once-bustling city of three million people.
Live: Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities; intense fighting in Kyiv
- Fighting ghosts -
Sirens wail and thudding booms crash across swathes of Kyiv at random hours.
The deserted streets are distinguished by pockets of nervous-looking soldiers and oddly relaxed volunteers shuffling from foot to foot and smoking.
Pedestrians who venture out look almost oblivious to the danger.
Some are glued to their phone screens and one couple was spotted jogging with their puppy.
But the Russians -- their advance toward the city's gates confirmed by the distant blasts and empty bullet casings scattered on intersections -- are nowhere to be seen.
A masked volunteer unit commander who goes by the nom de guerre "Bob" admitted he had no idea where the Russians go after attacking.
"I don't know," the commander said. "I have one man injured. This street was hit with bullets -- and not the ordinary bullets like in my machine gun. We have smaller bullets. The Russians use much bigger bullets."
Ukraine's once-dilapidated armed forces have been beefed up by years of steady Western assistance and an urgent flurry of arms shipments aimed at deterring Putin.
But they remain an over-stretched and out-gunned force.
- 'Try our best' -
Government troops had focused for eight years on fighting Russian-backed insurgents on a frozen frontline in the east -- then Putin invaded from three directions at once.
This forced Ukraine to scramble to send reinforcements to the northern frontier by Belarus and the southern one by Kremlin-annexed Crimea.
The military then urged anyone between the age of 18 and 60 to pick up a gun and get ready to fight.
Paragliding instructor Roman Bondertsev said he heeded the call "because it's better than being at home doing nothing. This way I am less afraid".
"And if I get shot, there will be two people ready to come take my weapon and take my place," the 47-year-old said.
The extreme sports coach was better able to contain his anger at the Russian invasion than mechanic Ruslan Bitsman.
"I've never served," Bitsman admitted.
"But it's my country -- my country, you understand. You ask what I think about Putin? Only unprintable things."
Yet both men admitted facing difficult odds keeping the Russians from blowing past their positions.
"I only took a weapon in my hands for the first time yesterday. What can you do? We will try our best," Bondertsev said.
From the elderly to boxing legends, Ukraine is showing world what resistance means
Dan Wetzel
SPORTS·Columnist
Fri, February 25, 2022
Dan Wetzel
SPORTS·Columnist
Fri, February 25, 2022
Last month, Valentyna Kostyantynovska heard the building drumbeat toward Russia's invasion of Ukraine and decided to join the defense forces. She figured that the only way her homeland stood a chance against such overwhelming force was if everyone chipped in.
And by everyone, she meant everyone.
Even someone such as herself, a 79-year-old from Mariupol, located along the Sea of Azov which is connected to the Black Sea.
“I cannot do much,” Kostyantynovska told Reuters. “I can help the wounded. …I know they will kill me. And so it should be, so less young people would die.”
On a small island in the Black Sea this week, 13 Ukrainian soldiers, staring down the Russian Navy and with the choice of death or surrender, reportedly barked into a radio, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.” They were soon killed, Ukrainian government officials said.
In Kyiv, two multimillionaire former heavyweight boxing champions, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, each with the fame and resources to have long ago fled to safety, remained, vowing to take up arms and fight the Russians in the streets no matter the consequences. As high-profile targets, their fate may be sealed.
“I don’t have another choice,” Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv and the son of a former general in the old Soviet Air Force, told “Good Morning Britain.”
“I have to do that.”
Heavyweight boxing champion, turned Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, talks with AFP journalists at his office in Kyiv on Feb. 10. Klitschko said he was ready "to take up arms" defending Ukraine against a feared Russian invasion.
And by everyone, she meant everyone.
Even someone such as herself, a 79-year-old from Mariupol, located along the Sea of Azov which is connected to the Black Sea.
“I cannot do much,” Kostyantynovska told Reuters. “I can help the wounded. …I know they will kill me. And so it should be, so less young people would die.”
On a small island in the Black Sea this week, 13 Ukrainian soldiers, staring down the Russian Navy and with the choice of death or surrender, reportedly barked into a radio, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.” They were soon killed, Ukrainian government officials said.
In Kyiv, two multimillionaire former heavyweight boxing champions, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, each with the fame and resources to have long ago fled to safety, remained, vowing to take up arms and fight the Russians in the streets no matter the consequences. As high-profile targets, their fate may be sealed.
“I don’t have another choice,” Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv and the son of a former general in the old Soviet Air Force, told “Good Morning Britain.”
“I have to do that.”
Heavyweight boxing champion, turned Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, talks with AFP journalists at his office in Kyiv on Feb. 10. Klitschko said he was ready "to take up arms" defending Ukraine against a feared Russian invasion.
(Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
As recently as a week ago, many Americans knew little to nothing about Ukraine or the Ukrainian people. Many wouldn’t have been able to find it on a map, just another jigsaw piece among the geography of Eastern Europe.
There were the Klitschkos, a few NHL and NBA players, a couple actresses and lots of murky political scandals that would occasionally put the country in the news, but with little context.
Few, however, understood who these people are, what this country believes in and the measure of the courage available to defend against an overwhelming invasion.
They do now. Boy, do we all know.
The stories of individual heroism, of defiance, of courage and conviction displayed by the Ukrainians since Russia has invaded the country have moved the world.
This is a near-impossible fight. The Ukrainians mostly alone against one of the planet’s biggest armies, led by one of its most ruthless men.
Ukraine’s plan has never been about realistically stopping the Russians in their tracks, holding the border or forcing an immediate retreat. It’s been about making every step in Ukrainian land as difficult as possible. It’s about a sustained resistance, about citizens taking up arms and homemade explosives, about refusing to bend to occupiers. It’s about inflicting as many casualties as possible and simply outlasting the aggressors until support for this war collapses in Russia.
“Ukrainians are showing their true heroism,” Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video released Friday. “Like our ancestors before, they are charging into battle. Russia continues to expect that our forces will grow tired, but we will not tire.”
Where are Russian forces surrounding Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.
In 2014, Russia overtook the Crimea region of Ukraine without firing a shot. This time, it’s about making it hard. Ukrainian hard.
“The enemy wants to bring the capital to its knees and destroy us,” Vladimir Klitschko said in a statement Friday. “Everyone who can defend the city should join and help our soldiers.”
This is David v. Goliath.
Except there is apparently no shortage of Davids.
It’s the grandfathers and grandmothers, who lived through life under Soviet rule, enlisting to do anything they can. It’s 60-something retiree Dmytro Bellykov who told Reuters that he’s joining up because he’s still a pretty good shot and, if not, he’s good at fixing things.
“I can repair weapons,” he said.
It’s soldier Vitaliy Skakun Volodymrovych, who the Ukrainian government said was setting mines along a bridge when Russian forces arrived before he was done and clear. Rather than flee and let them pass, he blew both himself and the bridge up.
It’s the group of fighters outside of Kherson who lost a critical bridge to the Russians but, per CNN reporting, refused to retreat. Instead, they fought to take it back, at least temporarily.
It’s everything. And everyone. The Ministry of Defense has now encouraged Ukrainians to “inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails and neutralize the enemy” by almost any means necessary.
This is why each and every act is being celebrated. Old men. Old women. Citizens. Doomed soldiers.
Everything from firebombs to harsh rhetoric that makes it clear that the Russian army is not welcome or wanted there, no matter the propaganda back in Moscow.
Some would rather die than be captured, make one last statement rather than succumb in silence.
These are the Ukrainians; desperate but defiant, one act at a time, a people the world has learned quickly and clearly exactly who they are and what they are about.
As recently as a week ago, many Americans knew little to nothing about Ukraine or the Ukrainian people. Many wouldn’t have been able to find it on a map, just another jigsaw piece among the geography of Eastern Europe.
There were the Klitschkos, a few NHL and NBA players, a couple actresses and lots of murky political scandals that would occasionally put the country in the news, but with little context.
Few, however, understood who these people are, what this country believes in and the measure of the courage available to defend against an overwhelming invasion.
They do now. Boy, do we all know.
The stories of individual heroism, of defiance, of courage and conviction displayed by the Ukrainians since Russia has invaded the country have moved the world.
This is a near-impossible fight. The Ukrainians mostly alone against one of the planet’s biggest armies, led by one of its most ruthless men.
Ukraine’s plan has never been about realistically stopping the Russians in their tracks, holding the border or forcing an immediate retreat. It’s been about making every step in Ukrainian land as difficult as possible. It’s about a sustained resistance, about citizens taking up arms and homemade explosives, about refusing to bend to occupiers. It’s about inflicting as many casualties as possible and simply outlasting the aggressors until support for this war collapses in Russia.
“Ukrainians are showing their true heroism,” Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video released Friday. “Like our ancestors before, they are charging into battle. Russia continues to expect that our forces will grow tired, but we will not tire.”
Where are Russian forces surrounding Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.
In 2014, Russia overtook the Crimea region of Ukraine without firing a shot. This time, it’s about making it hard. Ukrainian hard.
“The enemy wants to bring the capital to its knees and destroy us,” Vladimir Klitschko said in a statement Friday. “Everyone who can defend the city should join and help our soldiers.”
This is David v. Goliath.
Except there is apparently no shortage of Davids.
It’s the grandfathers and grandmothers, who lived through life under Soviet rule, enlisting to do anything they can. It’s 60-something retiree Dmytro Bellykov who told Reuters that he’s joining up because he’s still a pretty good shot and, if not, he’s good at fixing things.
“I can repair weapons,” he said.
It’s soldier Vitaliy Skakun Volodymrovych, who the Ukrainian government said was setting mines along a bridge when Russian forces arrived before he was done and clear. Rather than flee and let them pass, he blew both himself and the bridge up.
It’s the group of fighters outside of Kherson who lost a critical bridge to the Russians but, per CNN reporting, refused to retreat. Instead, they fought to take it back, at least temporarily.
It’s everything. And everyone. The Ministry of Defense has now encouraged Ukrainians to “inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails and neutralize the enemy” by almost any means necessary.
This is why each and every act is being celebrated. Old men. Old women. Citizens. Doomed soldiers.
Everything from firebombs to harsh rhetoric that makes it clear that the Russian army is not welcome or wanted there, no matter the propaganda back in Moscow.
Some would rather die than be captured, make one last statement rather than succumb in silence.
These are the Ukrainians; desperate but defiant, one act at a time, a people the world has learned quickly and clearly exactly who they are and what they are about.
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