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A Ukrainian journalist and training army reservist says the country is ready for whatever attack may come from their neighbour Russia, as they have been preparing for eight years.In an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer, the man, Sergey Velinchanskiy said the general mood of the country is calm, as citizens have grown accustomed to the reality. However, he said this may not be the case for the Jamaican students in the space who are not familiar with such, and as a result, they may feel the urge to return to Jamaica."People like me that have nothing to do with the army, now we have joined as reserves with the territorial defence and we're undergoing a lot of training right now... what to do to prevent troubles and problems in our area where we live. We are talking about an additional 150,000 people," Velinchanskiy said."The first line of reserve are about 400,000 ex-army personnel that have gone through the war in the past eight years. Now they are retired, but they are ready to step in. That's already a huge amount of people, and 200,000 is the regular armed forces of Ukraine. We are prepared to face any challenge. We don't panic. The way the army has grown in the past eight years, and the way the willingness to defend the country has grown in the past eight years, that will make a huge difference in this game," he continued confidently.Ukraine's territorial defence is a system of national, military and special measures carried out across the country to prepare the nation to counter any possible military threats.The country's National Resistance Act took effect January 1, 2022. It serves to develop the territorial defence so that in the event of army mobilisation, the volunteer army will consist of more than 130,000 people, including reservists.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said it has been engaged with Jamaican students in Ukraine, and five have left, or are in the process of leaving. Seven requested assistance to return, three of whom are now reconsidering. The others are still considering their options.However, Velinchanskiy told the Sunday Observer he believes that that is unnecessary."It's easy to say because I don't carry the responsibility over them. At the same time, you need to understand that in case this invasion happens, it will not be a typical World War II scenario. It will not be like bombing major cities because Ukraine is huge as far as the size of the country. And so, I would say they just need to just maybe make extra steps to organise and to just know what to do if something happens."One Jamaican student in Ukraine told the Sunday Observer that all Jamaican students in the country were engaged by the High Commission of Germany over a video call, and they were offered the opportunity to travel to Germany."I don't know about anybody else but no I'm not going to Germany," the student said on Saturday."I don't even know what's going on here myself. Everyone is saying things, so at this moment, I'm confused badly. But it's very calm here for real, but we just don't know what's happening on the border as they say," the student added, noting that his classes have been shifted online.Velinchanskiy added: "Since Ukraine is big, if they are in Kharviv, the city which is very close to the border, they can always be able to move to the west part of the country. That part of the country will not be impacted by anything. I don't see the reason for the major panic, as far as trying to escape the country."Kharkiv lies 26 miles from the Russian border and was identified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a possible Russian target. Zelenskyy's spokesman later said he was speaking hypothetically.When asked about the feasibility of young, foreign nationals who are in Ukraine solely for study, moving from city to city, Velinchanskiy admitted that in that case, the best option would be to "go home.""I do suggest to my students that if something happens... if your family wants to move away for a little while, go ahead and do that. Let the army handle this. So, let me probably take back some of my words. I will say this; there are two thoughts. It's difficult to say how long it will go on, so in case of you go, it's difficult to say come back in June or come back in September," Velinchanskiy, also a university professor, explained."But I would say that if you have a chance to just go home for now, then probably until the next school year, that might be a good idea because nobody can guarantee anything. I can say, 'Hey, we are fine because we are Ukrainians and we're used to it' but truly, to be honest, I cannot take responsibility over anybody besides my son and my family."The foreign affairs ministry also said that the embassy has written to three universities which most Jamaican students attend. Two universities, with one and 15 Jamaican students, respectively, confirmed that they will allow online classes until April 1. The third university, which has 19 students, still holds classes in person, but said it would consider adjustments."We note there have been some signals of de-escalation and continue to hope for diplomatic solutions. The situation is, however, dynamic so we will continue to monitor and share info, provide help and encourage our Jamaican students to stay in touch and continually assess their individual circumstances," the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith said in a news release last week.Further, reports are that Russia has assembled about 70 per cent of the military capability needed for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the coming weeks.The build-up of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fuelled Western worries of a possible offensive. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine "any day", triggering a conflict that would come at an "enormous human cost".Velinchanskiy told the Sunday Observer that many Ukrainians are talking about "the potential invasion" but for the most part, there is no alarm."You need to understand that we have been under this threat for eight years; since 2014," he said. "This is when Russia illegally annexed our peninsula, the Crimea. And in 2014, they started the hybrid war without declaring any war in the east of Ukraine. They occupied about seven per cent of our land. So, in a sense, eight years give you the idea that there's always this threat," Velinchanskiy went on."We have this neighbour that always wants to do provocations. In eight years, we have lost 14,000 people. They were killed in this war. And so, I would say people have gotten used to it. But at the same time, the full, big scale invasion, that is something new, and so, every major network is covering Ukraine right now."He said he has seen where even people who were not involved or interested in a war are now talking about Russia-Ukraine crisis."So, in a sense, yes, it has impacted every single Ukrainian, but people don't panic. People still come to restaurants, they come to watch football, they go on dates. If you came to Kiev, the capital, you would not see anything special or extra in the behaviour of people."He added: "We do hope that it will be resolved soon, but just in case, if they can get permission from the university for distance study, this could be an option and I'm sure that universities will understand that, and they will go for it."Meanwhile, Russia has denied that it intends to invade Ukraine, but has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and has sent troops to exercises in neighbouring Belarus. US officials say Russia's buildup of firepower has reached the point where it could invade on short notice.