They fought in the bloody Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended 25 years ago and are now on the frontline of anti-government protests rocking Ukraine, vowing to hold out even against "tanks."
On February 15, 1989, the last Soviet soldier crossed the Friendship Bridge out of Afghanistan into the Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, marking the end of a war that lasted 10 years and saw nearly 15,000 Red Army soldiers and countless Afghans die or disappear.
