A former Miss Ukraine is one of hundreds of locals taking up arms against invading Russian forces in Kyiv tonight – as satellite images released today show Vladimir Putin’s army encircling the capital city.
Anastasiia Lenna, 31, was pictured with a huge rifle, complete with a pink scope, as she warned in an Instagram post: ‘Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!’
The now viral image came amid reports of long snaking queues of citizens waiting to be issued weapons in the capital, which is expecting another Russian assault this evening.
Ms Lenna, who usually works as a public relations manager in Turkey, posted the image alongside two hashtags, reading ‘stand with Ukraine’ and ‘hands off Ukraine’.
It is not the first time she has been pictured with a gun and previous posts appear to show her training with weapons in wooded areas and indoor training grounds.
Among the other volunteers is a man with a prosthetic leg and a young couple who brought forward their wedding from May to tie the knot before joining the civil defence force the next day.
For weeks now, ordinary citizens across the country have been receiving basic combat training in everything from handling guns to making incendiary Molotov cocktails to tossing grenades.
Ukrainians living abroad have even flown home to join the ‘Territorial Defense Units’ – which have been trained by military personnel in wooded or abandoned areas on the outskirts of cities.
The newly trained forces have been seen standing guard behind stacks of tires at checkpoints in the capital of Kyiv and patrolling its empty streets.
Most wear street clothes with yellow arm bands to identify them as volunteer soldiers.
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