Two ex-boxing world champions have vowed to take up arms to help defend their capital Kyiv. They are Vitali Klitschko, 50, and his brother Wladimir, 45, both Ukrainian. Vitali is Kyiv's mayor. He was world heavyweight champion for a decade. He said: "I don't have any choice.…I'll be fighting. It's already a bloody war." Wladimir tweeted: "Destruction and death come upon us.…We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy."

The brothers have joined their fellow citizens in defending their city. Authorities have given 18,000 rifles to residents to defend themselves. The two brothers have critisised Russia's President Putin. Yahoo Sports wrote: "There is an immense amount of bravery required to slip between the ropes and fight another man who has trained for months to defeat you. That's child's play compared to the fight the Klitschkos face today."