Armed society

A MUM is pictured wielding a huge sniper rifle in her Ukraine flat as she prepares for a Russian invasion - warning Putin: "I'll start shooting".

Mariana Zhaglo, a 52-year-old marketing researcher, has said she is willing to do whatever it takes to defend her country.
The mother-of-three has set up a sentry post in her kitchen, arming herself with a massive Zbroyar Z-15 rifle, helmet and camouflage gear as she joins millions of civilians preparing for the imminent Russian invasion.

Posing in her Kiev apartment, she told The Times: "As a mother I do not want my children to inherit Ukraine's problems, or have these threats passed on to them.

"It is better that I deal with this now.

"If it comes to it then we will fight for Kiev; we will fight to protect our city. If there is a need for the shooting to start, then I'll start shooting."

She explained that her weapon is a hunting rifle - but that she has no intentions of hunting dear.

"I have never hunted in my life. I bought this carbine after listening to some soldiers discussing the best rifle to get," Mariana added.

And the rifle wasn't a one-off purchase for Mariana.

In addition to splashing £950 on the weapon, she also went to a two-week sniper course and had several attachments fitted - including a bipod, a telescopic sight and a silencer - to ensure she could be as lethal as possible.
Mariana also spent another £830 on the other military garb which included a bulletproof vest, ammo and boots as well as stocking up on canned goods in case there is a siege in Kiev.

She is just one of thousands of civilians - from architects to students - who recently have joined the nation's voluntary section of the army, the Territorial Defence Forces, amid rising tensions on the Russian border.

In the event of a potential invasion by Russia, these volunteers will be part of the country's civil resistance that will carry on the fight against Russian soldiers if Ukraine's 255,000-strong regular army is overwhelmed.

The region has been on a knife-edge since the end of last year when Moscow moved as many as 100,000 troops, as well as tanks and missiles, close to its border with Ukraine.

But tensions have ramped up in recent days after a surge in equipment and troop movements, among them military police, from the extreme east of Russia.

Mariana told The Times that many Ukrainians have learned to live with the threat of a potential invasion ever since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and said it is not unusual for Russia to intermittently increase troop deployments near the border.
THE SUN