Polina Beliakova

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Standing on a destroyed Russian tank near Makariv, Ukraine, May 2022. Mikhail Palinchak / Reuters

In 2014, when Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula, they faced remarkably little resistance. The Ukrainian military was weak, poorly trained, and corrupt. That was the Ukrainian military Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to encounter when he invaded the country again in February 2022. Assuming that the Ukrainian military would not put up much of a fight, Russia opted for a multipronged attack advancing from numerous locations in Russia, Belarus, and previously occupied Ukrainian territory. By the time it became clear that the multipronged invasion would not achieve the swift surrender that the Kremlin had expected, Russia’s forces were dispersed across a vast country and, in many cases, running critically short of supplies.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian friends embrace as they stand in line to join the Territorial Defense Forces in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Feb. 26, 2022. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to step forward and help defend the country against the massive Russian attack. Kyiv had earlier called on volunteers to join territorial defense battalions training for the possibility of a full-scale Russian invasion.

After Russia attacked Ukraine, Zelensky announced mass mobilization. About 37,000 volunteers joined the territorial defense of Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF).

Volunteer formations were seen as national heroes in 2014, when the Russian-backed separatist war began in Donbas, and the military was unprepared for the challenges it faced in Eastern Ukraine. However, some analysts worried that these volunteer forces posed a threat for domestic governance and security.…  Seguir leyendo »