Commentary: If there’s war in the Ukraine – be sure and BLAME world leaders for NOT resolving the situation

For the last eight years, Ukraine has lived under a permanent state of alert, with the constant threat of Russian intervention in its territory. The fear and tension have led many civilians to seek military training to be prepared in the event of a conflict. Jonathan Spier narrates this report for VOA from Ricardo Marquina in Kyiv. On the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of about 200 men and women receive military training. They are civilians who have joined the Territorial Defense Force, a reserve corps set up by authorities to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the event of a conflict. They train on their own time, and they buy their own weapons. Volunteers spoke on condition of not giving their full names. This man, identified only as “Yuri,” gives a simple reason for joining. “I am here to learn fighting techniques and support the army to defend Ukraine.” Russian military pressure on Ukraine, with a massive deployment not far from its eastern border, has once again raised the specter of war. For many here, the question is not whether there will be