'A blitzkrieg': Ukraine's volunteer fighters brace for more
ABC News
A 68-year-old retiree recalls serving alongside Russian soldiers when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and calling them brothers
KYIV, Ukraine -- Andrey Gonchruk served alongside Russian soldiers when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and called them brothers. But on Wednesday, the 68-year-old wiped his face with one hand and grasped a rifle with another, ready to resist their invasion of his country.
“This is a blitzkrieg,” Gonchruk said. He stood in the rubble of a home newly shattered by what residents called a Russian airstrike in Gorenka, a village on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital that has found itself in the crossfire as Moscow attempts to take Kyiv.
The white-bearded retiree is one of tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have volunteered to defend their homeland from Russia. He and his son Kostya armed themselves after last week's invasion. Together, they patrol the village.
The volunteer defenders also share the pain of loss. Residents said at least two people from Gorenka have been killed in Russia’s week-old offensive and a dozen wounded. Several homes were destroyed Wednesday. Women stood in the ruins and wept.