A Ukrainian mum has bought her own automatic rifle, helmet and camo gear as fears of a Russian invasion ramp up.
Mariana Zhaglo is a marketing researcher and spent $1,300 (£963) on the rifle, after listening in on a conversation between soldiers about the best rifle to get.
The mum-of-three bought a Zbroyar Z-15 carbine, a hunting rifle by designation, but the 52-year-old did not buy it to shoot deers.
She told The Times : “As a mother I do not want my children to inherit Ukraine’s problems, or have these threats passed on to them. It is better that I deal with this now.
“If it comes to it then we will fight for Kiev; we will fight to protect our city.
If the fighting begins, they will come here. Kiev is a main target.”
Mariana lives in Kiev, a city known in Russia as ‘the mother of Russian cities’ - a moniker which reflects a reported belief that Ukraine and the surrounding areas near the Russian border rightfully belong to those in Moscow.
Alongside buying her rifle, Mariana, a member of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces (TDF), had a silencer, bipod and telescopic sight fixed to the weapon.
The TDF is a voluntary unit of the Ukrainian armed forces.
She also bought a helmet, snow camouflage, flak jacket, ammunition pouches, boots and British army surplus uniform for $1,000.
The mum also went on a two-week sniper course.
Alongside her new gun, she told the Times she had stocked up on supplies and food including “lots and lots of ammunition”.
Mariana is far from the only Ukrainian taking up arms to protect her home.
Ordinary citizens have flocked to join the ranks of the TDF and receive military training as Vlaidimr Putin’s forces wait at the border.
It was only last year that the unit opened up its exercises to new recruits and let ordinary citizens in, as tensions ratcheted up.
A survey held in December last year by the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology found that 58 per cent of men and nearly 13 per cent of women were ready to take up arms to defend their country against Russia.
This comes amidst fears that the invasion of Ukraine will take place this winter.
Putin has previously denied any intention to invade, but said in late December that he was ready to use “appropriate military-technical measures” should his “red lines” be crossed.
These included freeing all western military assistance to Ukraine, rejecting the nation’s bid to join NATO and pulling back the military forces from eastern Europe, in short, leaving the area completely at Russia’s mercy.
Yesterday, the US confirmed 8,500 troops were placed on standby, ready to be deployed to Eastern Europe.
Only two days ago, the UK’s Foreign Office said that Russia was eying up replacing Ukraine’s current leader with a more sympathetic politician.
These claims were rejected by Russia.
