Ukraine's ordinary citizens train to fight in case of Russian invasion

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220131-ukraine-s-ordinary-citizens-train-to-fight-in-case-of-russian-invasion

As tensions continue on the border with Russia, Ukrainian electricians, nurses, lawyers and even priests are volunteering for the country’s Territorial Defence Forces, a civilian reserve intended to support the regular army in case of a Russian invasion. FRANCE 24 met some citizen-soldiers at one of their bases in Kharkiv, 40 kilometres from the border.

"Don't aim for the head, aim for the crotch. That way, you're sure to hit your target even if it ducks at the last minute," an Ukrainian instructor tells a small group of recruits dressed in camouflage clothing.

Kalashnikovs in hand, the volunteers have been learning how to move in small groups without entering their comrades line of fire. For these Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces reservists from Kharkiv, the enemy they're targeting is the tens of thousands of Russian soldiers massed just on the other side of the border.

Many of these volunteers might have answered the calls on billboards to join this Ukrainian army brigade; the signs were posted all around this city of 1.5 million inhabitants in north-eastern Ukraine. Nearly a hundred recruits gathered on Saturday, January 29 in an empty school to take lessons on the basics of army life: handling weapons, orientation, operational movements, theory on explosives… Every Saturday, a team holds training sessions.

(Excerpt)

[doc03]

1. The Ukraineian president says the US is over

reacting. What is he the Bagdad Bob of the Ukraine?

[nykym]

2. Good to know when the Slobfather's minions stage another coup

"Don't aim for the head, aim for the crotch. That way, you're sure to hit your target even if it ducks at the last minute,"

[Dial H For Hero]

4. I've trained for shooting for center of mass, myself.

[TheRealNorth]

5. Lol true

Center mass is the best method to guarantee a hit. Although a crotch shot would probably guarantee that the MAGAT won't be reproducing ever again, even if they survive

[NickB79]

3. 43 million live in Ukraine

More than in California.

If the civilian population has access to decent small arms and ammunition, they could make any Russian invasion a clusterfuck in short order. Door to door urban warfare has a way of neutering a modern army's tech superiority rapidly.

[TheRealNorth]

6. That presumes that they won't just bomb the cities to shit.

Remember, the Russians only won at Stalingrad because they were able to keep reinforcing the city with troops and supplies across the Volga River.

[electric_blue68]

8. I don't think so bc I think Putin wants to put more Russians in those cities

[TheRealNorth]

9. If Putin does invade, I think he stops at the Dnieper

Outside of Kiev and the area along the Black Sea, the ethnic Russians in the Ukraine are the eastern half of the country, along with a fair amount of the industry and natural resources.

Of course, if the invasion is easy and there is no major international intervention, he could decide to proceed with conquering the whole country.

[electric_blue68]

10. There still are...

a lot of Ukrainians in the Eastern section, but more Russians were brought in.

I'm not for sending US troops in but all for ancillary help of all kinds.
I think I might be ok with Europeans sending in troops but I don't know... I mean I don't want any more of Ukraine taken over let alone the whole country!

I assume Putin wants to live, along with the Oligarchs so why would he risk nuclear war? .
He's not stupid since it's decades past us knowing about Nuclear Winter - which we didn't yet know about back during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was 9 at the time but living (as I still do) in our USA's #2 target NYC. Gah, that was terrifying!

I'm glad as far as I know I don't have any relatives there as my dad's dad moved in the late 1890s, or early 1900s, along with someone who landed in Brooklyn who was called the black sheep of the family (of which why I never asked my dad about he [my dad] was an only child).

[the other side of my family is a big Greek-American one]

:worried:

[electric_blue68]

7. It's necessary, and makes me sad...

Sad for the fighting that still is going on in Eastern Ukraine, and that Ukrainian citizens feel they have to do this even more so
Probably the right thing to do, just sad.