Meet the Ukrainian couples training for war

The reality of war has come as a shock to residents of Odessa, a vibrant city where design ateliers and coffee outlets specializing in single bean roasts mix with historic architecture and the looming cranes and rail yards of the port.

Internet marketing sales manager Maxim Yavtushenko, 32, and his girlfriend, graphic designer Olga Moroz, 26, who volunteered to join the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, pose for a picture during a training session, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Odessa, Ukraine, March 18, 2022. Picture: Reuters/Nacho Doce

A generation of Ukrainians who knew of war only from history books and the stories of their grandparents has been forced to prepare to fight, and some are choosing to do it with the partners they were building their lives with only weeks ago.

In a training centre in the southern city of Odessa, young urban professionals who might normally be choosing where to meet friends for a coffee learn about handling weapons and applying emergency first aid to battlefield wounds.