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Ordinary Ukrainians become unlikely warriors

By Peter Leonard
Published August 13, 2014 12:42pm ET
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Ordinary Ukrainians become unlikely warriors
In this Monday, Aug. 11, 2014 photo Denis Lavrienko, 36, gestures during a conversation in Ukraine's capital, Kiev. Since a separatist insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine in March, entire swaths of Ukrainian society _ either through a government summons or their own patriotism _ have suddenly been thrust into battle, many of them with little or no combat experience. With the government desperate for more fighters and medics, a draft has brought in a wave of needed additions to what had been a neglected army. And amid a surge of patriotic indignation tipping over into martial fervor, volunteer battalions have proven an indispensable boost as well. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) | Efrem Lukatsky

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Denis Lavrienko is a 36-year-old TV director who devotes his free time to his wife and young daughter. Vladislav Matelsky is a 28-year-old part-time truck driver who lives with his girlfriend. Vyacheslav Konstantinovsky is the multimillionaire owner of a fast-food chain.

All have been rousted from peaceful lives in settings that wouldn’t stand out in Western Europe — and are going to war.

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Europe Russia Ukraine World