Feeling very tearful at the thought of ordinary people in Kyiv being given guns

[Flamingo49]

I find it heartbreaking and so sad to think of ordinary families in Kyiv being told to make Molotov cocktails and defend themselves with guns. Can't imagine how terrified I would feel if BoJo was handing out machine guns telling us to protect our nation. Anyone else?

OP I quite agree. It feels so sad thinking of them and it’s hard to understand what it must feel like to have one’s ‘safe’ world turned upside down

It’s horrific and feeling utterly helpless to do anything about it makes it worse. Knowing that Western governments can’t or won’t do anything about it makes it worse.

I’m grateful to Anonymous for doing what they do. Beyond contacting your MP to push for freezing/seizing Russian held accounts and assets I don’t know what else to do.

It isn’t virtue signalling - it’s watching an invasion, the murder of civilians, in Modern day Europe.

Of course we should talk about things and express public outrage, but we can do it without making it all about ourselves and our feelings.

I agree

We all stand with Ukraine, and this is being displayed in many ways, but there’s no point starting self-indulgent threads about it and your feelings. I really think we need to be strong about this.

Good grief. Its a bloody military invasion. Of course, people are upset. And I'd far rather they were and expressed it than they weren't or didn't feel that they could.
It's basic empathy for other human beings.

@Flamingo49

Oh I completely agree, I just wonder if they're thinking "I'm a primary school teacher, how on earth has my life turned into this?"

Yes, I should imagine they are, why wouldn't they be?

And at the risk of sounding gung-ho, if the modern equivalent of the Red Army was bearing down on me, I'd want a bloody gun too.

Caring about people is not the same as virtue signalling.
Wheres Gary Lineker when we need him!!

@Flamingo49

I find it heartbreaking and so sad to think of ordinary families in Kyiv being told to make Molotov cocktails and defend themselves with guns. Can't imagine how terrified I would feel if BoJo was handing out machine guns telling us to protect our nation. Anyone else?

Anyone else?

No, just you

@NETSRIK

Anyone else? Are you seriously asking if anyone else feels the same? Come on!! Are you expecting someone to post that they are overjoyed at the thought of being handed a gun and they can't wait to have a go?

Given this is AIBU I wouldn’t be massively surprised.

The courage in unthinkable circumstances is humbling.

Russia is going to find it very hard fighting in cities with an armed population and it's going to find occupying a country where people don't want you to be very costly.

I don't know what I would do. But they have so much courage to resist. I hope I would have that courage.

Yes op.

It's the detail, it's been on TV how to make the petrol bomb? Ordinary people getting guns.

I said to DH how would we Go about trying to get the petrol too do this?
The logistics of ordinary non military trying to get petrol to make a bomb?

The detail touched me in amongst everything else going on with this.
I also thought of the handmaid's tale.

@Flamingo49

Oh I completely agree, I just wonder if they're thinking "I'm a primary school teacher, how on earth has my life turned into this?"

Is this the first time this has occurred to you about your fellow humans in a conflict or just because it's Europe it's finally occurring to you that these are regular humans like you?

Seeing the protest's against the war in Russian cities being squashed Will be giving them courage.
Putin should have been stopped years and years ago when he went rogue

@Tigersonvaseline

Yes op.

It's the detail, it's been on TV how to make the petrol bomb? Ordinary people getting guns.

I said to DH how would we Go about trying to get the petrol too do this?
The logistics of ordinary non military trying to get petrol to make a bomb?

The detail touched me in amongst everything else going on with this.
I also thought of the handmaid's tale.

You walk or drive to your nearest petrol station and fill up a jerry can then pay for it?

@Tigersonvaseline but most males at least have had as a minimum basic military training.

The logistics of ordinary non military trying to get petrol to make a bomb?

I'm baffled by this. What do you think a petrol bomb is?

A petrol bomb is basically a glass bottle of petrol with a lit rag in it. An empty wine bottle would do. You throw it, it smashes, boom.

What logistics? Go to a petrol station, buy petrol.

The simplicity is why they're asking civilians to do it.

@Tigersonvaseline

Yes op.

It's the detail, it's been on TV how to make the petrol bomb? Ordinary people getting guns.

I said to DH how would we Go about trying to get the petrol too do this?
The logistics of ordinary non military trying to get petrol to make a bomb?

The detail touched me in amongst everything else going on with this.
I also thought of the handmaid's tale.

This is the epitome of making someone else's suffering all about you.

Questions of 'how would I feel' 'what would I do' aren't caring. Caring about your fellow man is having concern for them even if you couldn't picture yourself in their situation in a millions years. Caring is doing as much as you can to help, not bleating on the internet about how it's made you feel sad and heartbroken.

All the 'me me me' going on around this is worse than the people trying to ignore it and get on with their lives for their own sanity - Atleast those people aren't trying to turn someone else's tragedy into something they deserve sympathy for being upset about.

I think Putin will use the armed civilians as an excuse to destroy any of the Ukrainians who do not meekly surrender.
On the news just now - the Belarus Gov imprisoned and used unspeakable torture (bbc choice of words) on any who resisted the Belarus gov.
Doesn't bear thinking about, what the Russian army will do.

Oh my god

Do you think the petrol stations will have plentiful petrol? Maybe they do but with over 100 thousand people taking to the roads to escape all.at. the
Same timeI assumed they would be empty meaning one had to get it out of the car!

Yes it's not about not having empathy for others, the criticism is when people frame the situation around themselves.

I can’t believe people are acting watching videos like that…

I think it's safe to say everyone is shocked and scared and worried but turning on each other isn't the answer and I'm generally very blunt..I didn't think this was going to happen I really didn't. Why is it virtual signalling re animal charities and Ukrainian music?. Can't it just be feeling like we can do something to help. Please everyone atop fighting because of the two words 'anyone else's. It's easy to be alone on a crowd.

@Viviennemary

I would do it. I'd rather go down fighting than become an obedient serf under Putin's regime.

This.

Remember the ucrainians have had a while by now to get more afraid and indeed angry.
I’m talking to people in countries who may well be next and you’ve neurosurgeons (male) thinking of going to volunteer and help.
Let alone if the fight came to their own country.