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Sherhiy Velichansky works as a psychologist for Ukrainian veterans, helping them overcome the post-traumatic stress of fighting pro-Russian rebels through improvisation and comedy.
Now, he confesses to Politico that he is considering taking up arms himself and fighting alongside them should the Russian forces that have surrounded Ukraine move to invade.
"I realized that if, by all means, that were to happen, I couldn't sit back and do nothing," he explains."
But at 50, he's not the ideal candidate for conscription. Instead, he is among the countless Ukrainians who have joined a new military organization: the Territorial Defense Forces.
Territorial Defence Forces
The aim of the organisation is to bring together well-trained reservists from across the country, under the guidance of professional soldiers, to jointly combat Russian aggression - whether in the form of direct attacks or underground missions aimed at social unrest, sabotaging construction sites or overthrowing local governments.
Thus, at a time when the Ukrainian armed forces are preparing for the possibility of a more traditional war, against the 130.000 troops Moscow has deployed on the border, alerting the Americans to the possibility of an invasion within days, the Territorial Defense Forces can help them deal with more subterranean threats - so-called "hybrid attacks".
"We need a new system and a new philosophy," argues Victor Kevluk, an expert at the think tank Center for Defense Strategy and a former military commander who has taken part in Force reviews, speaking to Politico."
But creating a brand new military organization is no easy task. Many recruiting offices are already struggling to meet the volume of applications.
The most significant shortage, observes Anton Holoborodko, commander of a reserve unit in Kiev, is "in the hours of the day."
Establishment
On New Year's Day, Ukraine passed the law that made it possible for the Territorial Defense Forces to operate as a separate military branch.
Initially, the Forces, born as an idea in the early 2000s and first formed in 2014, referred to the command of ground forces and consisted of retired military personnel divided into battalions reminiscent of volunteer battalions. Their job was to watch their backs.
But now, in anticipation of the possibility of Russian attacks taking more modern, underground forms at the same time as conventional military conflicts, Ukraine has decided to move to more methodical training of its citizen soldiers.
Need to recruit millions
The goal is to form a core of 10,000 professional soldiers by March, according to a recent briefing by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. Initially, the goal was for the force to consist of 130,000 civilians, but on Friday, with the threat of war looking increasingly imminent, the Ukrainian general announced that they are seeking 1.5 to 2 million civilians willing to defend their homes, families and country.
The reservists, who will be assembled at high speed, will then be divided into 25 brigades - one for each of Ukraine's regions and an additional one for its capital, Kiev. In turn, the brigades will be divided into 150 battalions, supported by additional volunteer soldiers.
According to Kevlyuk, this model will allow the forces to help local authorities deter Russian hybrid tactics, for example by protecting infrastructure or repelling Russian agents before they manage to destabilize or take over a region.
More than half of Ukrainians want to fight
A recent poll by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, a think tank, found that 56 percent of Ukrainians want to join the newly formed forces - millions more than are needed.
Indeed, Kiev commanders told Politico that the forces are growing rapidly. Many recruitment offices are now struggling to handle the new applications, and the pressure to get through the bureaucracy quickly is immense.
The Ukrainians showing up at the offices come from every possible social background. Some have relevant military knowledge. Others do not. All receive combat training, but many are simply expected to apply on the battlefield the talents they already possess in their daily lives, Holoborodko explains to Politico.
He was a journalist before being drafted into the Donbass in 2014 and 2015 - the region where Russian and Ukrainian forces have continued to clash for eight years. In 2020, he decided to return for further training in order to "refresh" his skills.
Now, he participates in the Reserve Council, which has an advisory role to the commander of the Kiev brigade. From this position, he helps organize the training of reservists, in addition to the government-mandated two weeks a year.
People from all backgrounds
"The people who come here are very different from each other," he explains. "For example, we have drivers who can drive ambulances, doctors, rehabilitation specialists who work with athletes in their civilian lives. Here, they have different roles - one is a rescuer."
That breadth of experience would be gained at great cost if the military decided to hire specialists, he observes, speaking to Politico.
"There are people who in their civilian lives are programmers, and even though they don't serve as telecommunications specialists, they bring fresh ideas for improving our communications," he notes.
However, even those who in their normal lives have nothing to do with the military are trained in combat.
This is also true for Marianna, a 52-year-old mother of three from Kiev, who works as a financial analyst. In 2020, Marianna trained as an infantry freelancer
"I learned about the Territorial Defence Forces and I liked the idea," she says. "I liked their attitude toward older women without military training." And most importantly, "I liked that they allow you to defend your own country. That's my main motivation."
Training and challenges
The Reserve Council and other organizations support civilian trainings every Saturday, mostly in basic combat techniques: defending a target, ambushes, taking over a building. Their training takes place in different fields, from forests to yapias, allowing them to simulate combat in a confined space.
When their training is completed, military exercises are expected to take place.
But there are many challenges to overcome until then. Because of the recent establishment of the Forces, recruiters have to deal with endless paperwork. Each new soldier or reservist translates into another file full of paperwork, while units must find locations suitable for housing personnel, storing equipment and training civilians.
Velichansky is well aware of these bureaucratic hurdles. He had to visit three different recruiting offices and spend unnecessary hours waiting for a response before he found one that was organised enough to actually recruit him.
"There are very serious organisational problems," he says. And there may also be equipment shortages.
Kevluk also identifies major problems with transportation, which the Defense Department cannot adequately provide. Local authorities should step in and make deals with private providers, he argues.
He adds that he would like to see units in each battalion that ensure a good relationship with the population and are capable of dealing with psychological warfare and propaganda operations - two of Russia's great talents.
Ukrainians are stubborn
The Forces Ukrainians, however, appear stoic about Russia's current military threats, pointing to eight years of the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine. They are used to the idea that Moscow can attack at any time."
"All they are succeeding in doing is mobilizing the Ukrainians," argues David Plasterer, an American who teaches first aid on the battlefield. "We have people, successful business people, men and women, married and single, single or large, and they all see the situation the same way. That it is about our country."
The prominent citizens who were recruited include Yegor Sobolev, a former MP, who decided that he should prepare for the worst-case scenario when Russia began to gather soldiers on the Ukrainian border in the spring of 2021.
Sobolev, who participated in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and later served on government commissions to crack down on corruption, says both he and his family are prepared for tough times.
"My son asked me: 'Dad, you made a revolution, now you're going to win the war against Russia, what's left for us to do?"' Sobolev tells Politico. "I told him: 'You'll always have a lot of work.'
Source: in.gr
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