Like so many nights since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, on the morning of May 18, anti-aircraft sirens woke up the residents of Khótiv, a small town located 20 kilometers south of Kyiv, hidden between forests and fields. After 15 months of war, some are likely to turn over in bed and cross their fingers. For Valeri Zekin, on the other hand, it was the signal that he had to take action.
"When you hear the sirens, you know the Russians have launched a drone attack, so I went to my position." It didn't take long to spot a device, a shahed, the famous Iranian kamikaze drones. It was flying at a height of about 60 meters and I could hear it clearly. "It was night, but it was starting to lighten and I could see it moving over the forest, near a high voltage tower." Armed with a Kalashnikov provided by the Ukrainian army, he fired and brought down the device, which burned as it fell to the ground.
He works as a real estate agent, and until February 24, 2022, like many other Ukrainians, Zekin had only wielded a gun for hunting. He is now part of the Khótiv territorial defense volunteer unit, a structure formed against the clock during the first hours of the invasion in an atmosphere of chaos to protect the territory, as they soon understood that the Russians were trying to surround Kyiv with a attack from the north and east. The invaders failed in their attempt to take the capital and turned around, but the unit remains operational and better prepared than ever, they say.
"At the time, the majority of volunteers were simple enthusiasts who had never held a weapon in their hands, many had not even done military service", explains Íhor Hrib, a former border guard who, as a military reserve, was appointed group commander "Today we know that we cannot have quality units without training", he explains next to the shooting range dug by the neighbors, with tractors, to improve their handling of weapons. They came to have 1,500 active volunteers, now the number has been reduced to 500.
In the first days of the invasion, together with other surrounding villages, they fortified their critical facilities, created a food warehouse, and set up checkpoints at the road accesses. The unit captured several "Russian suspects", who they say they handed over to the police. Several officers died in an encounter with a saboteur or saboteur. "The Russian army was 15 kilometers away, but what they do before they go in is to send investigators, undercover agents, to examine the situation and get information. Russia had been sending people to Ukraine for half a year and on February 24 they went out to attack," says Zekin.
They don't let their guard down. The checkpoints have been removed, but sandbags and other items to create barricades are still on hand in case they are needed again. Since February of this year, the task entrusted to them by the army is to protect critical infrastructures for Kyiv, from electrical grids to gas pipelines or water distribution plants. Half of the capital's population depends on the high-voltage line that flew over the drone that shot down Zekin, they say. They also monitor curfew enforcement and help protect the army's combat units, such as Cheetah tanks, so soldiers can rest.
The work of these paramilitary groups, created under a law signed in December 2021, allows, in effect, to free the regular army from its territorial defense tasks and to use more effectively the State resources. They work with weapons and ammunition provided by the armed forces. Despite the large number of rifles and pistols in the hands of these groups, "during this year there has been no emergency or any problem related to weapons. Discipline is very high", assures Hrib, and points out what could be a future problem for the country, as happened in the Balkans, the large amount of weapons in circulation.
"Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes!" exclaims priest Mikhaïl Pradko after blessing and sprinkling with holy water the volunteers who are preparing to train. "We don't charge, but the people are very motivated. Our task is very important, we allow the Government not to spend money here", explains Anatoli Potxodna, deputy commander of this volunteer unit; by profession, businessman, as well as secretary of the municipal council.
"Kyiv was saved by the people of the town, by ordinary people. When the invasion began, there were not enough troops in Kyiv to defend the city", emphasizes this paramilitary in a toast in honor of the group of European journalists visiting the unit. "It was the people of the town who decided that we would fight and defend ourselves. Then Zelensky and the politicians followed us, it was like that, not the other way around. For me, the real heroes are the volunteers, the people who created territorial defense units by their own decision, without receiving orders from anyone." Potchodna, who appreciates European aid, has a warning for Russians and politicians: "Don't stop supporting us. If they attack us, we Ukrainians will fight to the end to defend our country."
