In Ukraine, civilians train with wooden guns to prepare against possible Russian invasion
Preparing for war
A military instructor teaches civilians holding wooden replicas of Kalashnikov rifles, during a training session at an abandoned factory in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on January 30, 2022.
Survival training
Ukrainian civilians learn to build a shelter out of the deep snow as part of a crash course in survival techniques, in a forest on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Training in sub-zero temperatures
For the participants, the two-days of training learning how to make fires and get by in sub-zero temperatures has taken on a new urgency as fears swirl over a buildup of Russian troops on the border.
No let-up in commitment
The defense unit volunteers include everyone from urban professionals to military veterans like, to new recruits. Many are thus far armed only with plywood rifles — stand-ins for the real thing.
Battle ready
Military instructors and civilians stand prior to a training session at an abandoned factory in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv
Wooden rifles
A military instructor teaches civilians holding wooden replicas of Kalashnikov rifles, as they take part in a training session at an abandoned factory in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Combat experience
As fears grow of a potential invasion by Russian troops massed on Ukraine's border, within the framework of the training there were classes on tactics, paramedics, training on the obstacle course. The training is conducted by instructors with combat experience, members of the public initiative "Total Resistance".
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