‘What Is The Point Of A Job When You Don't Have A Country?'

India Today TV’s Gaurav C. Sawant Is In Kyiv Covering The Conflict. His On-The-Spot Report

- Gaurav C. Sawant

Commander Igor scans the skies as another air raid siren goes off in Ukraine's capital Kyiv. The Russians have systematically targeted Ukraine’s airfields and air defence assets. Igor’s unit has been tasked to defend the main axis to Kyiv from the east.

Young soldiers use earth movers and diggers to dig trenches and build fortifications. Civilians, including women, rush to help, bringing food, water and even manning barricades and roadblocks, che cking for suspicious activity or subversive elements. “Russian spe cial forces and Chechen fighters are coming to assassinate President (Volodymyr) Zelensky… we have to stop the enemy at the gates,” he tells india today.

For the defence of Kyiv, multiple levels of security are in place. The army with its tanks and armoured personnel carriers backed by troops with anti-tank guided missiles and surface-to-air missiles man the roads. The second line of defence are local militias with assault rifles.

“We are waiting for Carl Gustaf systems, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and Stinger missiles. We have the will power, we need the weapons,” says Misha Michael, a militia commander. Misha is an IT professional but gave up his job to defend Kyiv. “What is the point of a job when you don’t have a country? We cannot let Russia take over Ukraine,” he says.