‘Invaders will die on our land!’ Former Miss Ukraine trains to fight for her country

A former Miss Ukraine has joined thousands of her fellow citizens who have armed themselves in preparation to fight against Russian troops.

Anastasiia Lenna, who was 24 when she competed in 2015 for Ukraine in the Miss Grand International beauty contest, posted a video on Sunday of herself firing an assault rifle at targets in a shooting range.

The Kyiv-based model and TV personality – who has worked in marketing in Turkey – posted the clip in an Instagram story, which can typically be viewed for 24 hours before they are automatically removed.

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She wrote in the caption: “Training. The invaders will die on our land! All world see this! Wait and see what will happen.

“... Anyone who wants to join the defence of security in Europe, the world can come and stand side by side with Ukrainians against the invaders of the 2st century. Ask your embassy.”

Earlier this week, she uploaded to Instagram a photo of herself in combat gear and holding a large firearm.

Ms Lenna has made frequent posts about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that was launched by Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Echoing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, she called for people around the world to join her country’s forces and help them to fight off the invasion.

Ms Lenna also shared a photo showing Mr Zelensky walking with soldiers, and described him as a “true and strong leader”.

In another post, she joked: “Our army is fighting in such a way that Nato should apply for entry into Ukraine.”

It appears from her Instagram page that Ms Lenna is no stranger to firing weapons, as she has been a frequent player of real-life mock shooting games – such as airsoft – over the years.

Men aged 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving Ukraine and civilians have been encouraged to fight against Russian troops.

In the UK, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she would support Britons who chose to fight for Ukraine.

Ukrainians in the cities Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipro have been making Molotov cocktails at pop-up stations, after Mr Zelensky encouraged them to make the petrol bombs to help in the battle.

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Unarmed civilians have also been filmed attempting to block a convoy of Russian tanks from entering their village by kneeling on the floor in front of the vehicles and standing in their way.

On Sunday, Russian forces entered Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, after they have failed to seize control of the capital Kyiv.

At least 4,300 Russian soldiers and 240 Ukrainian civilians have died in the conflict since it started earlier this week, reports suggest.

Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet for negotiations on the border with Belarus, Mr Zelensky has said, but a time for the meeting has not been disclosed.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba said: “We will not surrender. We will not capitulate. We will not give up a single inch of our territory. This is not the goal of our fight.”