Selling Firearms As Ukrainian Police Loosen Rules Amid Russian Invasion, Civilians: We Must Stop Them

JAKARTA - As Russian rockets hit targets in eastern Ukraine, men of military age lined up for hours outside an arms shop in Lviv City on Tuesday to buy hunting rifles and rifles to protect their community.

"I can see that the Russians are not going to stop, so we have to stop them," said Andrew Muzyka, a web developer waiting with dozens of men outside a gun shop near Lviv Medical University.

Inside, the men received basic instructions on how to operate the firearms, then sought further approval from the police before being allowed to buy them. Most models cost hundreds of dollars.

Nearly a week since Russian troops launched their invasion of Ukraine, they have not captured a major city, having encountered much fiercer resistance than they had expected.

Some experts have warned that Russia will now rely on the relentless bombing of areas built to undermine the Ukrainian resistance.

On Sunday, Lviv police announced that the procedure for purchasing such weapons had been simplified. A process that previously took two or three weeks can now be completed in two or three days, Muzkyka said.

He said he thanked other countries for their support, despite knowing they would not send troops to fight in Ukraine.

"If we can't save ourselves, no one can," he said.

The shutters at another Lviv gun shop were closed, but a rifle was removed from a side door by a man in military uniform.

Among those waiting was By Lekhush, who hails from Stebnyk, some 80 km (50 miles) away. He said about 500 people in his city's civil defense force only had about 20 firearms between them.

Lekhush said he runs a restaurant business and has no military experience.

"But when tensions started at the border, I started to make preparations. Unfortunately, the only thing I didn't do was buy weapons. But I hope I will get them as soon as possible," he hoped.

Lekhush said he would buy any weapon offered to him and was willing to spend up to $2,000.

Meanwhile, Yuri Futalo, a video producer, holds his documents in one hand and, in the other, the leash of a Vizsla hunting dog named Terra.

"I was planning to buy a gun for hunting, the season is about to open, but now the situation is more urgent. So I'm trying to get it as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow," he hoped.

If Russia came, Futalo said he would not hesitate to protect his loved ones, but hoped the war would end soon.

"It's better to hunt ducks," he said.