Extraordinary scenes in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro have emerged, as dozens of women come together to prepare Molotov cocktails as part of the defence against the Russian invasion.
Dnipro, located in eastern Ukraine, has seen hundreds of people gather in the centre of the city in an effort to provide support to the country's military defences as Russian troops attempt to advance.
As residents hurry to gather food, water and medicine in the face of an uncertain future, many have been queuing to join the military, while others have been following instructions from Ukraine's Ministry of Defence to make Molotov cocktails.
Filling empty bottles with Styrofoam, the volunteers are reportedly making the cocktails according to a recipe that was distributed by the country's MoD.
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A large majority making the Molotov cocktails were 'housewives', who said it's not how they wanted to spend their afternoon, but they didn't know what else to do. 'They feel like they have to defend their land, they have to defend their city, and so they're preparing. They want to be ready for whatever might happen here,' BBC News reports. The housewives reportedly said, 'We're good at cooking, this is just the same thing. We want to keep busy, we want to feel like we're doing something.'
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky earlier encouraged citizens to take up arms against the Russian forces, saying anyone who wanted, as well as friends from abroad, would be supplied with weapons. 'We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities,' Zelensky said, per Yahoo!News.
On Friday, February 25, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s Facebook page posted a message that read: 'We urge citizens to inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails, and neutralise the enemy.'
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Topics: World News, Ukraine, Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky