http://www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/photo/ukrainian-soldiers-on-border-with-crimea-pray-for-peace-prepare-for-war-340963.htmlBut often the soldiers don’t have to worry about their daily needs. The local population supports them overwhelmingly, unlike in Crimea, where people rallied in support of the Russian invasion.
Villagers bring these Ukrainian soldiers plenty of food, sanitary items and also collect money. Some parcels sent to soldiers from locals have inscriptions with children’s hands “to our defenders.” Roy said the soldiers were pleased to see such an attitude in Kherson Oblast, which is sometimes viewed as pro-Russian.
Tanks with little Ukrainian flags hoisted and smiling soldiers looking out of them. But a sudden order - “action!” - starts them moving with impressive speed and a frightening buzz, as they kick up clouds of dust in the field.
Tanks get followed by infantry fighting vehicles that look like their lighter versions. Groups of infantry soldiers, machine gunners, mortar men as well as grenade launchers take their position in the trenches throughout the field.
When the soldiers in the camp get automatic weapons, Roy asked the Kyiv Post to leave because “these are battle exercises with live ammunition.” After signal rockets were used and soldiers started to fire, the scene started resembling a battlefield.
Suddenly three civilians approached the tent camp, shaking hands with the soldiers and asking what kind of help they need. These are the local activists of the Civil Active of Kherson Oblast as they call themselves. Recently they brought the soldiers bulletproof vests and other ammunition purchased on the money sent by activists from Marganets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
“The people from Marganets found me via Vkontakte group (Russian equivalent of Facebook),” Yevhen Chebotariov said. “Apart from several freaks all here are for Ukraine,” he added.
Another man who came was Volodymyr Yakymenko, a local taxi driver, who temporarily took leave from his work to assist the army. “We constructed all this,” Yakymenko said, pointing proudly at the barricades made of white bags with sand inside. Last night, the guys were also writing the patriotic inscriptions on the walls, including “Our grandfathers defeated Hitler and we will defeat Putin.”
