(29 Mar 2022) Soldiers from the 103rd Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine took part in a tactical training exercise on Tuesday in an undisclosed location near Lviv.
Members of the international press were invited to view the exercises.
Many of the more than 200,000 men and women serving in Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces are called to the military from civilian life.
Among them is Oleg, a 28-year-old medic who was confident Ukraine can beat Russia in ground combat, though he worried about Russian airstrikes.
He hopes Western countries will scale up their support in their fight against Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, including closing Ukraine's airspace.
"Bombing of military facilities is still understandable, but the bombing of civilians, the bombing of hospitals and maternity hospitals - this goes beyond any limits of warfare," he said.
On Tuesday Russia's military said it would "fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, as talks brought a possible deal to end a grinding and brutal war into view.
But soldiers training on Tuesday were determined to fight to "liberate" all of Ukrainian territory, they said.
"I am obliged to protect my children, my land, my home while I am healthy - plus, Crimea," said Roman, a shoemaker who joined the military since the annexation by Russia of his homeland in 2014," said Roman, a member of the Territorial Defence.
The Ukrainian military’s general staff said earlier Tuesday it had already noted withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
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