With Russia and Ukraine at war, former heavyweight boxing champion brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have announced that they will take up arms and fight in the “bloody war”.
As a mass westward exodus of Ukrainian citizens is under way, the high-profile brothers are preparing to take on the Russians invading their country.
Vitali is the mayor of the capital Kyiv, a position he has held since 2014.
Wladimir has already enrolled for the Ukrainian Territorial Defence forces, an offshoot of the Ukrainian army, as he prepares to defend the capital.
“If the aggressors come to our country, we do not have another choice, we have to defend our city, our country, our future as a democratic European country,” said Wladimir.
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The 50-year-old Vitali told ITV, “I don’t have another choice, I have to do that. I’ll be fighting…. I believe in Ukraine, I believe in my country and I believe in my people.”
The mayor said that the main aim was to protect critical infrastructure, and that even civilians were ready to defend Kyiv.
“The Ukrainian people are strong. And it will remain true to itself in this terrible ordeal. A people longing for sovereignty and peace. A people who consider the Russian people their brothers,” wrote Wladimir in a social media post.
On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Russia had recently deployed about 30,000 combat-ready troops and weapons to Belarus, a country located roughly 100km from Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces were launched in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. Last year, as fears grew over Russia’s troop deployment, it opened up to civilians.
Vitali said he was concerned that the Russian threat is part of an attempt to rebuild the Soviet Union.
“We don’t want to go back to the USSR, we see our future as a modern European democratic country, Ukraine,” he said.
The latest reports say that Russian forces have entered Kyiv, with the president urging citizens to observe curfew rules. Loud blasts and gunfire were heard in central parts of the city.