'We're going to shoot and kill!' Ukrainians on the front line prepare for war
UKRAINIANS are preparing to fight for their freedom against Russian troops moving ever closer to their homes.
Ukraine: Putin tells nervous spy chief to 'sit down'
Several of those living near the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk fear a military escalation from Vladimir Putin, eight years after Russia first set its sights on Ukraine. The Russian President has made his hostility towards the existence of Ukraine clear in a televised speech on Monday, claiming “modern Ukraine was created entirely by Russia”.
Valentina Buchok lives near the front line of the current conflict and knows first hand how dangerous the situation can be.
The 56-year-old was kidnapped in 2017 by separatists who accused her of being a Ukrainian spy and tortured her.
She was held in Donetsk’s secret security prison for a year and a half.
She told The Telegraph: “We’re not going to give up.
“We need to stand for ourselves.
“We’re going to shoot and kill.
“Ukraine will either be free or it will not exist at all.”
Many residents share her fear of Russia’s threats against Ukraine’s existence as a separate country.
READ MORE: Boris and Biden ‘pulling their punches’ as Putin ‘priced in’ sanctions
Activist Enrique Menendez, 38, has backed Russia’s stance on the autonomy of Luhansk and Donetsk but now worries that this could lead to a full-scale war.
He said: “I couldn’t get to sleep until 4am: I couldn’t believe this actually happened.
“Jitters are in the air.
“Everybody is talking about it.
DON'T MISS:
Putin could be 'seriously ill' – 'unpredictable danger' in Ukraine [INSIGHT]
‘Spineless’ Biden ‘on knees’ amid Ukraine crisis – claim [REVEAL]
Putin dealt ‘huge blow’ as Russia tipped for devastating recession [LATEST]
“I can see clearly where things are going now: unless Putin get’s NATO’s guarantees, which no one is going to give to him, it can only mean one thing: war.
“It’s scary to say these words and it’s scary to think we’re going to go through this all over again.”
More than 14,000 people have been killed in the area in clashes between Ukraine’s army and Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.
Referendums proclaiming their independence have not been recognised internationally, however Moscow claims the Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine needs to be protected from Ukrainian nationalism.