Five days after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, the eastern European nation has been quite steadfast in keeping its enemies at bay, despite a strong Russian press from the north, east and south.
Despite both sides beginning talks on Monday and Western-led sanctions starting to bite hard, thousands of Ukrainian civilians are picking up arms in defence of their homeland.
The Ukrainian government had distributed over 18,000 guns to the residents of the Kyiv region alone and has banned all men, from 18 to 60 years, from leaving Ukraine.
Several prominent Ukrainian politicians, athletes and celebrities have since then, answered the call of their motherland, picking up arms in the past couple of days to defend their nation.
Below is a list of some of these high-profile Ukrainians who have joined the war:
Petro Poroshenko
The former Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, who lead the nation from 2014 to 2019 isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Poroshenko is no novice to the ongoing tensions between Russia and his homeland, guiding the country through the first phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War and pushing the insurgent rebel forces deeper into the Donbas Region.
In an interview, the 56-year-old was seen surrounded by a small band of armed militia holding a Kalashnikov.
Asked how long he plans on holding out against the Russian troops, he said, “Forever… Putin will never catch Ukraine despite the number of soldiers he has or how many missiles he has, or how many nuclear weapons he has. Ukrainian people are free people with a great future.”
Klitschko Brothers
Vitali Klitschko, former heavyweight champion and brother, Vladimir, also a former heavyweight champion, have also taken up arms to fight against Russian forces. The former heavyweight boxer brothers vowed to fight for the freedom of their country and joined the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali said on Sunday there were no troops in the Ukrainian capital so far, which was holding its defence against Russia’s attacks. He also confirmed that in total 31 people died in the capital since the attacks started, including nine civilians, while 106 people had been injured.
“Our military, law enforcement, and territorial defence continue to detect and neutralize saboteurs,” he said.
Anastasia Lenna (Former Beauty Queen)
Miss Grand Ukraine, Anastasia Lenna, has left her crown behind to also pick up a rifle, joining the Ukrainian military in its push back against the Russian troops.
Lenna declared her intent to join the resistance via her official Instagram handle
“Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!” the former beauty’s post read on Saturday
According to her, Miss Grand International profile, she worked in Turkey – Bodrum, Ankara and Istanbul as PR manager before she got so bored.
The profile also claims she is proficient in five languages and sometimes acts as a translator.
Kira Rudyk
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Following in the footsteps of Anastasia Lenna is Kida Rudik, a member of parliament and leader of the Voice Party.
Rudyk participated in the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election and was elected as a deputy, contesting the election placed third on the election list of Voice. After Svyatoslav Vakarchuk stepped down as the leader of Voice on 12 March 2020, Rudyk was elected to replace him
“I learn to use #Kalashnikov and prepare to bear arms. It sounds surreal as just a few days ago it would never come to my mind. Our #women will protect our soil the same way as our #men. Go #Ukraine!,” her post read.
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“I planned to plant tulips and daffodils in my backyard today. Instead, I learn to firearms and get ready for the next night of attacks on #Kyiv. We are not going anywhere. This is our #city, our #land, our soil. We will fight for it. So next week I can plant my flowers. Here,” she wrote in another post.
Sergiy Stakhovsky (Tennis Player)
Retired tennis player, Sergiy Stakhovsky, is not going to go down without a fight as he enlisted in his country’s military reserves.
Stakhovsky gained some level of prominence after beating eight-time winner and defending champion Roger Federer in the 2nd round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, ending his record run of 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals.
“I signed up for the reserves last week. I don’t have military, but I do have experience with a gun privately,” he said in an interview with Skysports.
