One thing Oleksii Bida remembers vividly from the fourth dimension he was kidnapped and tortured was that his interrogators knew full well that he could not respond the questions he was being asked.

Naked, tied to a chair while being repeatedly kicked and punched, he was told his ordeal would be over as soon as he revealed the "secrets of the traitors" who were taking part in the 2022 Euromaidan protests in Luhansk.

"Simply I knew no secrets. We were demonstrating but as people were demonstrating  in Kiev so many other cities all over the country. I knew that and they knew that. I gauge they but liked hurting the people they hated," reflected the 47-year-old graphic designer.

At the time of his fell encounter with the separatist militiamen during the protests 8 years ago, which led to a bloody disharmonize and the effective partition of Ukraine, Mr Bida was an avowed pacifist as well every bit being a civil rights activist.

Terminal weekend he was in camouflage and body armour, carrying weapons, and vowing to fight and kill if Vladimir Putin orders an attack on his country; an attack which he thinks may now be quite probable.

Mr Bida is function of Ukraine's army reserves and Territorial Defence Strength (TDF) who, along with citizen volunteers, can now be plant in parks and wood conveying out drills and  war machine exercises in increasing numbers every bit the warnings of imminent strife grow.

These men and women are not, the Ukrainian armed forces wants to point out, playing at soldiers. They are a highly important role of the state's war machine strategy when any invasion takes place specially if, equally expected, there is ground gainsay near or in urban centres.

A survey last month past Kiev International Found of Folklore reported that 58 per cent of men and thirteen per cent of women in the state's population of 44 million were prepared to have part in armed resistance against a Russian attack. Around 17 per cent of men and 25.5 per cent of women were ready to apply other means, including protests and sabotage against aggression.

These figures are believed to have risen sharply in the past month and preparation for the volunteers has been drastically stepped up. Thousands are turning upwards for exercises, with applications rocketing to join the 12,000 members of the TDF who are scheduled to be absorbed into the ranks of the 250,000-strong military this year.

The precipitous rise in numbers comes amid apprehension that the build-up of a force of more than 100,00 Russian troops has gone beyond intimidation to gain diplomatic concessions from Ukraine, and a military offensive now seems the likeliest scenario.

I tin't just sit at home and allow others do what needs to be done. The fact that I am a woman is neither hither nor at that place

Marianna Zhaglo, marketing consultant

Around l volunteers, men and women, young and onetime, who turned up on a Ukrainian winter morning of snow and bitter common cold wind were determined, they said, to do what they could.  They did non, at outset glance, await like those who would survive long against the firepower of tanks, missiles and artillery ranged confronting them. But they are nifty to declare their determination to fight.

"What selection have we got? We demand to be united and be set for anything," said Mr Bida.

"I did not rush to join up in revenge for what happened to me in Luhansk in 2014. I have tried to follow the non-violent path.  I thought near this for a long fourth dimension and there seemed to be no sign of the situation getting better. Russia, I believe, is sponsoring terrorism, and so I joined the reserves two years ago."

Some of those taking part in the drill at the Holosiivskyi National Park on the outskirts of Kiev had served in the forces before, but most had not.

A few wore gainsay and trunk armour from the disharmonize which began in 2014. Others had bought their kit, a varied assortment of camouflage and colours.  Quite a few carried "assault rifles" which were paintball guns, some were wooden or plastic replicas of American carbines.

Marianna Zhaglo had a working lethal weapon, a hunting rifle she has bought especially for the time when the Russians may go far in Kiev, a prospect she thinks is quite feasible.

Video: Joe Biden: There won't be U.s.a. forces moving into Ukraine (PA Media)

Joe Biden: In that location won't be Us forces moving into Ukraine

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"Nosotros are very close to the edge, so I can see Putin trying to take the city, and we have to fight if he does that," she said, "and for that we need to be armed."

Heed the call-up: reservist Oleksii Bida (Kim Sengupta) © Provided by The Independent Heed the phone call-up: reservist Oleksii Bida (Kim Sengupta)

Ms Zhaglo, a 52-yr-old marketing consultant with 3 children, was dressed in the white camouflage of winter warfare. She passionately believes, she said, that everyone's assistance volition be needed in the nighttime days ahead.

"I tin can't just sit at dwelling house and let others do what needs to exist done. The fact that I am a woman is neither hither nor there. Look around and you'll run into both men and women, all ages hither. We'll all suffer if there is a war, so anybody has skills they can offer," she said.

Ivan, 31, who wanted his call-sign, "Morty", published rather than his family name, is an Information technology engineer. He has, however,  trained to be a sniper rather than join the army'due south  communications squad.

"I didn't realise when I was training that I may have to use that training on the frontline and so before long. But I am prepared to practice that, I don't have any regrets," he said.

Ivan wanted to stress that he and his fellow trainees were extremely grateful for the arms which have been supplied to Ukraine past the United states of america, United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and other allied states. But while the Javelin and NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) are short range missiles, Russian weaponry massed on Ukraine'south borders includes heavy artillery and Iskander ballistic missiles.

"That is a trouble," Ivan said. "But then if they come into the cities these would exist very useful in street fighting. The Russians might, of course, only decide to stay at long-range and hit the states. They may even utilise their shipping. All that'll cause is a lot of civilian casualties, merely they probably don't care."

The Kremlin has stationed a squadron of SU-35S fighters, forth with other warplanes, in Belarus for war games due to be held between the two countries. The Ukrainian Air Force is not a match for these and the main effort would be to save them from being bombed in the airbases.

The departure in aviation capabilities is only too well known to Colonel Yuri Boyko, a 68-year-old retired Air Force officer, who had come along to the exercises every bit an advisor.

"Aye, the war games in Belarus are a piffling scrap different from our little ones," he smiled. "All we tin practice is use the assets we have, our people, to help defend our country if there'due south an invasion."

Col Boyko served for 22 years, some of information technology in the Soviet armed forces, and his deployment included a spell of three years in Iraq as an  observer during the state of war with Iran. He is involved in a number of international projects on command and control, which are due to take him to London in the coming months.

"That, of course, will depend on what happens to our country," said the Colonel. "We are not in full control of our future. I really promise there isn't a war. I call back people who have served in the war machine are particularly keen to avoid unnecessary loss of lives. Of grade nosotros volition defend our fatherland, simply for me this is foreign, just as the 2022 state of war was foreign. People who served in the aforementioned forces are confronting each other."

A ceremony in tribute to fallen defenders of Ukraine (via Reuters) © Provided by The Independent A ceremony in tribute to fallen defenders of Ukraine (via Reuters)

Colonel Shcherbina Mykhailo is some other veteran, serving for 37 years before retiring. He is now deputy chief of security for Kiev municipality, and a key figure in the defence of the capital.

The colonel had taken part in some of the bloodiest battles of the separatist state of war, including Debaltseve in January and February 2015, in which hundreds of combatants and civilian were killed.

Col Boyko held that Ukraine should have acted earlier and faster to build up the volunteer forcefulness, and that they needed to exist integrated much more into the TDF.

"Of class, it is very encouraging that these people have come forrad to defend the country. But we have had this threat for years at present and in that location should, perchance, accept been an viii-year roadmap",  the colonel told The Independent.

"The international community is freshly seeing what is happening now, but we have had this threat for years and nosotros did not retrieve it would suddenly disappear," he said.

Col Mykhailo and his staff are at present working virtually around the clock to organise the defence force of the capital letter.

"Would the Russians endeavour to accept Kiev? We shall find out soon, I call back. He has other options also.  Putin uses unexpected action as a part of his strategy, he wants to be full of surprises, and then even now one is not sure what he's going to do," he said.

"But the situation now is that he is edifice upwards such a large strength he has to do something unless he gets a lot of what he wants from Ukraine and the west.

"Nosotros are very grateful for the support we have got from our allies. Just we are in a very uncertain time here in Ukraine, and we must, as they say, prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

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