Ukraine trains civilians to defend against Russian invasion

Dozens of civilians have been joining Ukraine’s army reserves in recent months, as fears have mounted that Russia — which Kyiv says has massed around 100,000 troops on its side of the border — is plotting to launch a large-scale attack.

Ukraine’s army, which totals 215,000 soldiers, has been battling a Moscow-backed insurgency in two breakaway regions since 2014 in a long-simmering conflict that has claimed over 13,000 lives.

While Moscow has denied it is planning an invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not excluded a military response should the US-led NATO alliance — which Ukraine wants to join — expand eastward.

The Ukrainian reservists, who have ballooned to about 100,000 members, have been learning “how to handle weapons, how to behave in a battle environment, how to defend cities,” Larin told AFP.