A Ukrainian flag flies from a flagpole near the entrance to Valentyn Ilchuk’s house in Romankiv, a suburb of Kiev. “Since 2014, we have all rallied around our flag,” explains the man who heads a digital agency. Inside the opulent home, an army cap adorns the top of the Christmas tree. And in a closet located upstairs near the bedrooms, a veritable arsenal of war is ready to be drawn.
If Russia crosses the Rubicon, Ukrainian territory will not only be defended by the approximately 200,000 soldiers of the Ukrainian army, but also by thousands of civilians who promise to take up arms.
“We will be the rebellion and the resistance, launches Valentyn Ilchuk with defiance. It’s going to be a huge bloodbath if the Russians come in here with their tanks. »
From a safe protected by a secret code, the 38-year-old man takes out his weapons one by one with obvious pride. First, he pulls out four long guns, including an AK-47 and a semi-automatic shotgun. “These are weapons that I bought legally with hunting permits. But I’ve never hunted in my life,” he says ironically.
Then, he presents four handguns. “I always have one on me, in addition to a knife in my pockets. When you have 130,000 soldiers surrounding you, you have to be ready. »
Next to some food supplies, we see bulletproof vests, helmets and a radio set. “So that I can communicate with the local resistance,” he says.
Faced with the Russian threat, the Ukrainian government now allows anyone with a firearm to use it in the event of an invasion.
” I’m ready. But I’m so tired of being ready, says the father. We’ve been at war for eight years [contre la Russie]. It has to culminate one way or the other and end once and for all. »
Several veterans of the 2014 war – many of whom fought as volunteers before joining battalions recognized by the Ukrainian armed forces – today say they are determined to take up arms again.
A glass of vodka in hand, Valentyn Ilchuk gazes wistfully at the images he brought back with him from the fighting in the Donbass. It was fear, but it was also camaraderie and pride. “It was life or death every moment,” he recalls. But it was so true what we were going through at that time. »
Civil Forces
Nazar Kravchenko also fought on the front line in the Donbass in 2014. Today, the man volunteered as the head of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in the Shevchenko district, the largest in Kiev.
“My phone is ringing non-stop these days,” he says. On the other end of the line, it is civilians ready to fight in the event of a Russian invasion who call him. How many raised their hands in the district to lend a hand to the army and its reserves? “This is tactical information. We don’t make them public. »
There are musicians, nurses, even people with criminal records preventing them from enlisting in the army who have joined the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. “The goal of these groups of civilians will be to survive and help others to survive. »
Trainings are periodically organized in the premises of artists serving as the headquarters of Nazar Kravchenko. On the wall is a map of the district marked with instructions drawn in red marker. On the ground, stacks of books lie near a music studio. The resistance is organized with a certain poetry in the district of Shevchenko.
leading force
Taras Chmut’s desk is also lined with a map, this time of the whole of Ukraine. The 2014 revolution, followed by Russian aggression in Crimea and the Donbass, united Ukrainian civil society into a leading force in the country. In the aftermath, the Come Back Alive foundation, headed by Taras Chmut, was created to support the army by buying and repairing military equipment.
Since its inception, the organization has raised approximately US$10 million exclusively through public donations. “We have the most popular Facebook page in Ukraine,” he proudly points out.
The Foundation notably buys drones and thermal imaging cameras for the army. “The government doesn’t have enough time and money to take care of everything, so we help them. But we don’t buy guns. We are a civil organization. »
While many prepare for war, others wish to stay as far away as possible. Near Maidan Square, Pavlo Matvivchuk continues to open his barbershop every day.
Customers are just as plentiful these days, he says. Except those from the diplomatic world. “I have several clients who work in Canadian and British embassies. The last time they came they told me they had to leave Kiev. »
Will he also take up arms if Ukraine is attacked? ” No ! I lived in Donetsk before [dans le Donbass]. I’m not afraid of anything. But I don’t want to know anything about this war. »
With Bohdan Chaban and Daniel Kovzhun
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.