In Ukraine, on the front lines, many volunteers have joined the ranks of the national army, determined to repel the invasion of Russian soldiers.
These civilians enlisted in national defense units, placed under the orders of the country's army.
"We don't want to sit in front of the checkpoints, we want to go fight on the front," explains Mykola Kokhanivsky, commander of one of these battalions, in the Donetsk region.
"The commander can call you in the night and tell you that the Russians are planning a tank attack. You order your battalion to defend his section on the front line, and your soldiers will fight against tanks. This is not a joke, it is a hard fight".
This brigade does not only attract Ukrainian volunteers.
Among them, a Russian citizen.
He did not hesitate for a second before taking up arms to face the soldiers of his own country.
"Fight. Fight those who are without honour. Whether they are from your own family or not. It doesn't matter," explains this fierce opponent of the Moscow regime.
"Russia represents evil on a planetary scale. If there is conflict somewhere, you will find the hand of the Kremlin there. I am 99, 100% sure," he insists.
Despite different backgrounds, these volunteers are united by the same cause: the territorial defense of Ukraine.
They now hope that Western arms deliveries, which are increasing, will allow them to gain a decisive advantage over their adversary.
>> To read also: Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, all about the Donbass
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