Ex-Ukraine President Grabs Rifle, Dons Battle Gear, Joins Citizens to Fight Russia
Petro Poroshenko joins countrymen in the streets to fight Putin's invading troops
© press
Ukraine's former president, Petro Poroshenko, has picked up a rifle, donned military battle gear, and joined his people in the streets to fight the invading Russian forces.
A viral video has revealed Poroshenko has been spotted among citizens in Kyiv wearing battle armor.
Poroshenko addresses the invasion in the video, saying the situation in Ukraine remains dire as Russia sieges the capital.
"We are in the center of Kyiv, we are here to protect Ukraine," said Poroshenko, while wearing a bullet-proof vest.
Russian forces were a "little bit more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from here," he reveals.
"This is very difficult to explain," he added.
© press
"What does it mean in the 21st century, in the middle of Europe, to be awakened by the Russian missile attack, by Russian airborne attack?" Poroshenko says in the video.
The former president also thanked the international community for supporting Ukraine in the war noting it serves as "a great demonstration that Ukraine and its people are not alone."
"We want to be free," he continued.
"We want to be democratic.
"And we want to return back our country to the European family.
"Putin hates Ukraine, he hates Ukrainians."
WATCH:
Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has joined troops defending the capital city from the advancing Russians.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 26, 2022
Latest: https://t.co/X3flQUk9BR pic.twitter.com/k4GHoGESqZ
Poroshenko served in office 2014-2019, losing his re-election bid to current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
© press
Vitali Klitschko, the current Kyiv mayor, and his brother, Wladimir Klitschko, a retired pro boxer, also joined the Ukrainian military to fight against Russia, writing on a LinkedIn post that was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Putin wants to call into question the geopolitical balance across the whole of Europe, he dreams of being the defender of the Slavic peoples wherever they live, and he wants to restore a fallen empire whose demise he has never accepted," Klitschko wrote.
