Ukraine citizens brace for potential war - in pictures

  • Lidia, 92, a Ukrainian who has lived here during the time of the conflict, stands at the entrance to her house in the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, near the front line with Ukrainian government forces in Luhansk, Ukraine. AP
    Lidia, 92, a Ukrainian who has lived here during the time of the conflict, stands at the entrance to her house in the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, near the front line with Ukrainian government forces in Luhansk, Ukraine. AP
  • Olga Matvienko, an inspector at the migration service office, in Donetsk, Ukraine, says the number of people applying for Russian passports has increased in recent weeks. AP
    Olga Matvienko, an inspector at the migration service office, in Donetsk, Ukraine, says the number of people applying for Russian passports has increased in recent weeks. AP
  • Valentyna Konstantynovska, 79, is taught to use a weapon during training for civilians, organised by the Azov Special Forces Unit of Ukraine's National Guard, in Donetsk. AP
    Valentyna Konstantynovska, 79, is taught to use a weapon during training for civilians, organised by the Azov Special Forces Unit of Ukraine's National Guard, in Donetsk. AP
  • Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina, 87, at her house near the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Russia has stationed troops in Belarus in recent weeks. AFP
    Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina, 87, at her house near the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Russia has stationed troops in Belarus in recent weeks. AFP
  • Ukrainian teenagers dig trenches for soldiers facing off with Russian-backed separatists, in the Mariupol region. AFP
    Ukrainian teenagers dig trenches for soldiers facing off with Russian-backed separatists, in the Mariupol region. AFP
  • A young woman handles a weapon during basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP
    A young woman handles a weapon during basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP
  • A small child struggles to remove ammunition from a clip during a basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP
    A small child struggles to remove ammunition from a clip during a basic combat training for civilians, in Mariupol. AP
  • Civilians are being trained in Mariupol, where President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to mark what he had declared Ukraine's 'Day of Unity'. AP
    Civilians are being trained in Mariupol, where President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to mark what he had declared Ukraine's 'Day of Unity'. AP
  • A plane set as a monument to a former military base near the Three Sisters border crossing between, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, in Senkivka, Ukraine. Getty Images
    A plane set as a monument to a former military base near the Three Sisters border crossing between, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, in Senkivka, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A military instructor teaches a schoolboy to shoot with Kalashnikov rifles, during a training session in Lviv. AFP
    A military instructor teaches a schoolboy to shoot with Kalashnikov rifles, during a training session in Lviv. AFP
  • A salesperson works in a grocery store in Orlivka. Tensions with Russia have hit the economy hard, Ukrainian authorities say. Getty Images
    A salesperson works in a grocery store in Orlivka. Tensions with Russia have hit the economy hard, Ukrainian authorities say. Getty Images
  • A child on a swing with his grandmother in Prymorsk, Ukraine, as Russian forces conduct large-scale military exercises in Belarus, across the border. Getty Images
    A child on a swing with his grandmother in Prymorsk, Ukraine, as Russian forces conduct large-scale military exercises in Belarus, across the border. Getty Images
  • Pensioner Viktor collects firewood in Novokostyantynivka. European natural gas prices surged as the US rejected Russia’s claims that it was pulling back troops. Getty Images
    Pensioner Viktor collects firewood in Novokostyantynivka. European natural gas prices surged as the US rejected Russia’s claims that it was pulling back troops. Getty Images
  • A fisherman tests his new fishing rod on a beach in Prymorsk, Ukraine. Getty Images
    A fisherman tests his new fishing rod on a beach in Prymorsk, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A customer in a barber shop in Kiev. Bloomberg
    A customer in a barber shop in Kiev. Bloomberg
  • Passengers travel on a train in Kiev. Ukrainians have gone back to work, but are “not naive to the fact of how serious the situation is”, reports say. Bloomberg
    Passengers travel on a train in Kiev. Ukrainians have gone back to work, but are “not naive to the fact of how serious the situation is”, reports say. Bloomberg
  • Shoppers in a supermarket in Kiev. Bloomberg
    Shoppers in a supermarket in Kiev. Bloomberg
  • A large street mural in Kiev. Getty Images
    A large street mural in Kiev. Getty Images
  • A woman walks past a vendor on a street in the Ukrainian capital. Getty Images
    A woman walks past a vendor on a street in the Ukrainian capital. Getty Images
  • Ania, 67, a Ukrainian, gestures on the pedestrian border cross in Medyka, south-east Poland. AFP
    Ania, 67, a Ukrainian, gestures on the pedestrian border cross in Medyka, south-east Poland. AFP
  • A skateboarder performs a trick behind a mural of poet and activist Vasyl Stus, in Kiev. Getty Images
    A skateboarder performs a trick behind a mural of poet and activist Vasyl Stus, in Kiev. Getty Images
  • A woman gets her hair done at a beauty salon in Kiev. Getty Images
    A woman gets her hair done at a beauty salon in Kiev. Getty Images
  • A man works out at Kiev's popular outdoor gym. Getty Images
    A man works out at Kiev's popular outdoor gym. Getty Images
  • A woman works in a gun shop in the capital. Getty Images
    A woman works in a gun shop in the capital. Getty Images