In sub-zero temperatures, in the woods outside of Kyiv, the men and women of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force are preparing for an invasion they fear is coming.
Each weekend, these volunteers meet up to carry out training drills under the supervision of former military officers.
They are civilians who come from all walks of life: lawyers, business owners and IT programmers who are prepared to take up arms to defend their country.
They range in age from their 20s to their 60s.
Some are wearing military fatigues, others jeans and puffer jackets. The more experienced bring their own weapons while wooden replicas are supplied for novices.
Vadym Arystov is a 57-year-old managing director of a property business. He has never been in the military, but now finds himself spending his weekends doing infantry drills.
He is worried about the threat posed by Russia and feels duty-bound to be part of the volunteer force.
Mr Arystov says a motivated civilian population could make the difference if Russia invades.
"I strongly believe they will fight because, you know, it's not about nationality. It's not about the Russian people or its enemy," he said.
"They're going to kill us, so we try to do it before."
'At any age, it's possible to fight'
A recent survey from the Ukraine Future Institute suggested that one-third of Ukraine's population — roughly 13 million people — would be willing to join an armed resistance if an invasion took place.
Age does not appear to blunt the passion and patriotism of those seeking to be part of any resistance. At 68, Yuri Boyko has volunteered for the Territorial Defence Force.
Mr Boyko was a colonel in the Soviet army, where he served for 20 years.
He said the volunteers would defend critical infrastructure if Ukraine was attacked.
"This group will stand to protect places like grocery stores, petrol stations, things like that," he said.
"In the case of a Russian attack, I will go with my hunting rifle to protect people."
'Freedom and dignity'
Alexander Khara is a former diplomat and political adviser who is now a security policy expert at the Centre for Defence Strategies.
He told the ABC that the existence of this volunteer force was evidence that his countrymen and women rejected Mr Putin's views on Ukrainian nationhood.
"I think it's the right answer to Putin's claims that there is no such thing as a Ukrainian nation, Ukrainian language or Ukrainian state," he said.
"It's actually freedom and dignity."
Despite Moscow's insistence that it is not planning an attack, Mr Khara says some form of invasion is likely.
He envisages a scenario where Russia might cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea to undermine its economy.
"We don't believe that it would be a full-fledged all-out war, with the occupation of the whole of Ukraine," he said.
"Russia is not capable of doing this because of lack of resources and weaponry, and because of [Ukraine's] armed forces' readiness, and the weaponry that we have."
A conflict splitting families
Not all volunteers are tooling up with weapons and practising military drills in the snow.
Nina Levaya volunteers for a group that weaves camouflage netting in a small workshop in Kyiv.
In the past year they have made more than 12,000 nets that can be placed over military equipment to help prevent it being seen from the air.
She was born in Russia but was brought to Ukraine as a child, and has not spoken with her Russian relatives since the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
"When Russia annexed Crimea, they all shouted with joy, 'Crimea is Ours,'" she said, referring to a slogan of pro-Russian people who welcomed the annexation.
"No wonder Putin said that the borders of Russia do not end anywhere.
"It's called imperial ambition."
