TOLEDO (HRNW) – When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Alona, a Ukrainian who has lived in Spain for 14 years, felt compelled to return home to defend her country.
Early this year the 35-year-old joined the Ukrainian armed forces, and just a few days later found herself back in Spain receiving basic combat training from the Spanish army.
Alona, from Lutsk in Ukraine’s Volyn region, is one of 192 soldiers who arrived in Toledo, central Spain, on Jan. 12 to begin a five-week course. Back home, Kyiv is bracing for a possible Russian offensive this month to mark the first anniversary of its invasion.
“I am afraid that now in February we will be attacked again and they will hurt us even more,” Alona said.
The war is reaching a pivotal point as its first anniversary approaches, with Ukraine no longer making gains as it did in the second half of 2022 and Russia pushing forward with hundreds of thousands of mobilised reserve troops.
Alona’s mother and brother, who live in Madrid, do not approve of her decision to sign up. “They think I’m not ready for this. I’ve never in my life held a rifle in my hands,” she said. “I’ll stay until we’re victorious.”