* Young men and women, some as young as 21, have been taking part in Kyiv Territorial Defence unit training
* They are among thousands of Ukrainian civilians who are receiving basic combat skills as they prepare for a possible conflict with Moscow
* In the event of a potential invasion by Russia, these youngsters will be part of the country's civil resistance that will carry on the fight against Russian soldiers if the Ukrainian military is overwhelmed
Thousands of young civilians, from veterinary medical students to architects, have been drafted into Ukraine's army reserves and trained for war, as fears mount over a potential invasion by Russia.
Young men and women, some as young as 21, have been taking part in Kyiv Territorial Defence unit training over the weekend in a snow-covered forest in the capital, as they prepare for a possible conflict with Moscow.
Scores of civilians across the country have signed up to similar training programs to receive basic combat skills.
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Update #1: In a Ukrainian city near Russia, a civilian army prepares for war -- Al Jazeera
Update #2: Ukraine Crisis News, Analysis: Militias Prepare for Russia War -- Bloomberg
WNU Editor: This reminds me of my father and his experience when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. He was conscripted right away into the civilian militia (south of Kiev at Bila Tserkva), but because his university studies were focused on mathematics he was sent to the Urals for training in an artillery unit.
He learned after the war that everyone who was in his original militia unit were completely wiped out in their first encounter with the German Army.
Civilian militias provide good copy for the press, but as fighters they are no match against professional soldiers.