Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been dominating headlines, with powerful images, videos and stories emerging of young Ukrainians picking up weapons to defend their country.In an opinion piece published on Friday morning, Molan, a columnist for The Daily Telegraph, revealed she was “not confident” young Australians would risk their lives to protect the country if a similar situation were to occur here.While Molan said she “genuinely” hoped she was wrong, she claimed much of the lives of young people seemed to be focused on what is terrible about Australia and the government’s past and continued failures.“Many are taught, even encouraged, to dislike if not hate this country,” she claimed, adding this was a problem plaguing other countries like the US as well.“Are there enough threats to propel the preservation of our democratic freedom, our Aussie way of life and our families and communities, to the very top of our younger generation’s priorities? To be willing to put their lives on the line, because without peace, democracy and independence, we are nowhere?” Molan wrote.“Or would we, if push came to shove, roll over?”Ukrainian citizens of all ages have been banding together to defend against the Russian invasion.Would young Australians defend the country in an invasion?Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media to urge people to fight back.“We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities,” he said in a Twitter post.“We will lift sanctions on all citizens of Ukraine who are ready to defend our country as part of territorial defence with weapons in hands.”Martial law has also been declared in the country, prohibiting men aged 18 to 60 from leaving Ukraine.Ukraine’s defence minster, Oleksiy Reznikov, followed up the President’s call by urging anyone wanting to defend Ukraine to immediately enlist in the army.The only thing needed to sign up to the country’s defence force is a Ukrainian passport.While the efforts of young people are valiant, one Ukranian MP does not see the decision as something to be cheered, rather a devastating choice that shouldn’t have had to be made.Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik gave insight into the horrific situation children have had to face in Ukraine, telling 2GB’s Ben Fordham it is a “fight of tyranny versus freedom”.Ms Rudik has refused to leave Kyiv in order to stand by her follow citizens as Russia continues its attack on the country.On Friday, she told the radio station that young people have had their lives turned upside down by the invasion.“We wanted to raise a generation that wouldn’t know hunger, war and poverty,” Ms Rudik said.“We have mother’s day next week and children will not be preparing small presents for their mummies because they are all in the refuges or they are sitting in the cities like Kyiv getting ready for a siege.”Stories of young people stepping up to defend Ukraine have emerged over the past week, with one couple enlisting in the army just hours after their wedding.Young couple Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin were due to tie the knot on May 6 but moved their wedding forward when Russia launched its attack on Ukraine last week.NED-5624-Putin’s terror weaponHours after their wedding, the pair enlisted with the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces and collected their weapons.“No one here is saying that we will lose, or is crying. Everyone here believes we will win. It’s all just a question of time. So, I am very happy to see this great amount of people, really being ready to fight. Being ready to kill for their land. Having no doubt about our win in this war,” Arieva told CNN.Her husband, Fursin said his “people always want to be free. These people are ready to fight for their freedom.”Arieva said it’s “hard waiting for my husband to come back from combat missions,” but everyone in the defence force is helping each other.“Life here is different, but it is life. People joke and laugh. That is very interesting to see. It is another kind of life that has changed with the beginning of war, but it is life,” she said.
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