Some Ukrainians push for Swiss Model of Defense

Ukrainians are learning the advantages of an armed citizenry the hard way.  An organization in Kiev, Київський Легіон,  (Kyiv Legion) is calling for citizens to become armed on the Swiss model.   They even suggest that it might make sense to have those who do not serve be taxed to make up for their lack of service.   This is not an uncommon concept in history, and was used in the American civil war.   I am told that this is a Google translation.   What little Russian I had is long gone, and the original is probably in Ukranian.   Russian and Ukrainian have about 62% common vocabulary.  I am contacting a friend who is fluent in both, but cannot promise that he will be able to help:

Why do we have introduced regular military training of citizens – gun owners? The reasons are many. But the main one is that we begin to form a military reserve for the defense of the country, without waiting for the decision of the country’s leaders on defense for fundamental reform of the Cossacks, and now for the Swiss and Israeli demands. Most citizens who understand the need to be prepared to defend the family, city, country voluntarily at their own cost to buy weapons and equipment in their spare time come to the Legion for learning and training. We create one individual militias, we prepare people – patriots to defend the homeland. Legion is not paramilitary, and military-patriotic association. Our training will be useful to everyone who will be drafted into the armed forces. It will not be cannon fodder, and confident in their own abilities fighter. Of course, our training will come in handy if the citizens have to take their own weapons and deploy resistance to invaders.

Legal private firearms are scarce in Ukraine, but they exist.  Ukrainian gun owners have been pushing for looser regulations and government support to form a population of  armed citizens to help defend the country.   If you look at the top photograph carefully, with a magnifying glass, you can see what appears to be six or seven firearms present.   At this level of resolution, there is no way to tell if they are real, replicas, air rifles, or training dummies.  Even if firearms are rare, the training offered is real and gives advantages to those who take it.   They can learn basic skills, such has first aid, and basic tactics.  Air rifles or laser simulators can be very effective in teaching people how to shoot.  This level of training makes an enormous difference in having the confidence to fight, and in survival in chaotic conditions.  

This echoes the second amendment and citizen militias, as well as the more formal, and formidable, Swiss model.   It has been said that the Swiss do not have an army.   The Swiss are an army.

I do not know the politics of the organization that this story is linked to.  It does not matter too much.   The idea of an armed population defending itself from aggressors is as old as humankind.

 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.   Link to Gun Watch