A historian, two boxers walk into a war: Ordinary Ukrainians fight Moscow might

Ukraine, battling
a mighty Russian advance, stands little chance to match up to Moscow in
military might. But everyday Ukrainians do not want to go quietly into the
good night. Recently, the famed Klitschko brothers joined in the war effort
against the Russians as did hundreds of others.

Vitali Klitschko,
and his brother Wladimir Klitschko, have decided to take up arms and fight the
Russian advance. “I don’t have another choice; I have to do that. I’ll be
fighting,” said Vitali, the 50-year-old former boxer and the
mayor of Ukraine capital Kyiv, to ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Also Read | Watch: Ukraine cat cafe defies war as owners refuse to abandon pets

He added that Kyiv
was under threat and the priority for him was to work alongside police and
military forces to support critical infrastructure. “I believe in Ukraine, I
believe in my country and I believe in my people,” said the defiant boxer.

For Ukraine, the
Russian ‘invasion’ is an existential threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin
has often said that Ukrainians and Russians are one people and Ukraine is not a
real nation-state. “The Ukrainian people are strong. And it will remain true to
itself in this terrible ordeal,” wrote Wladimir Klitschko, echoing his brother
Vitali’s reasons for joining the war effort.

Also Read | Who is the ‘Ghost of Kyiv,’ urban legend and symbol of Ukraine’s resistance?

“…Democracy is a
fragile regime. Democracy cannot defend itself; it needs the will of the
citizens, the commitment of everyone. Basically, there is no democracy without
democrats.”

Meanwhile, Yuriy
Korchemniy, a Ukrainian historian who has never fired a firearm in his life,
has now picked up a Kalashnikov. “They gave out the rifles, loaded them for us
and here we are,” said the 35-year-old. Ukraine is distributing arms among its
volunteer defence units as the Russian attack advances towards Kyiv.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine crisis: Battle underway in eastern suburb of Kyiv

Korchemniy, however,
does worry about his place in this war. “I only know how to shoot single
rounds, so my plan is to click this here and switch off the automatic mode,” he
told AFP.

Leading this
defiance is Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. The 44-year-old
comic-turned-President has refused the US government’s calls to relocate. “The
fight is here: I need ammunition not a ride,” the president said, Associated Press reported quoting
a senior US intelligence official.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine conflict: A brief history

After reports
started doing the rounds that the Ukrainian president had fled, Zelensky
released a video from central Kyiv on Friday where he is heard saying, “We’re
all here. Our military is here. Citizens in society are here. We’re all
defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way.”

The Armed Forces
of Ukraine have called on citizens to join the war. “All those who are ready to
take up arms, join the ranks of the area defence forces of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine. We simplified procedures. Only your ID is needed. We give weapons to all
patriots!” Many Ukrainians have reportedly been training for this moment for
months. “We will never surrender…We are using every opportunity to train. So I
think Putin should be afraid of us,” Denys Semyroh-Orlyk told The Wall Street
Journal earlier this month.