As war rages in their homeland, Ukrainians living here in the UK are mobilising to help support the fierce resistance being shown in the face of the Russian invasion.

In a small yard just steps away from a busy high street, our reporter Rhys Griffiths found young Ukrainians securing much-needed supplies for their troops – and heard how they are ready to join the fight if the call comes.

Former soldier 'Wozza' explains how he is helping secure supplies for Ukrainian resistance fighters

Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has shocked a continent, complacent in the belief it would never again see the tanks of a foreign invader attempt to subdue and capture a European capital city.

The pictures beamed live from Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine have brought war closer to home than for a generation and raised the chilling prospect of a wider conflict in Europe.

An afternoon spent at the Cheriton store yard of G4 Echelon Military Supplies, which operates an Army surplus shop in Folkestone, brought the pain and uncertainty of the crisis even closer to home as we met a steady stream of young Ukrainian men and women who had come to see if they could purchase kit to be sent to the fighters on the front line.

Vitalii Vovchuk, a construction driver who moved from Ukraine three years ago, told us the community in London had already formed one unit of fighting men who were travelling to their homeland to take up arms.

The 28-year-old, who is married and lives with his wife in west London, had come to the Kent coast with fellow countrymen in the search for supplies.

"We are also thinking to go ourselves," he said, when asked about the prospects of returning to join the fight.

"But because we haven't been in army now they need people who already know how to fight, how to hold their arms, all that stuff.

"We will keep an eye and if they do training centres we will join them as soon as possible.

"We have to win this war and have to take our territory back, like Crimea and the occupied territories.

"Because this is our chance, you can see now it's the last days of Russia.

"It's the end of the big country, and it's coming to his [Putin's] end.

"He never thought it would happen like that, but we Ukrainians we always knew it's going to happen.

"Putin's problem is he doesn't understand Ukrainians.

"We'll fight for our freedom."

Rushing backwards and forwards across the yard is the owner, going only by the name 'Wozza', despite being pressed for his full name.

He is a former soldier who says he is now flat out trying to source as much kit as he can to sell at significant discount to the Ukrainians going back to the conflict in the coming days and weeks.

His business is trading Army surplus, and he is trying to offer what can be of most use to the Ukrainian fighters.

Although he is unable to sell bulletproof armour, he is selling much-needed military fatigues, cold-weather gear and boots which will help prepare any volunteers returning home to fight.

The 52-year-old said: "Ukrainians who live in the UK, civilians, are going back to their homeland in order to defend it from the Russians.

"Now, these are civilians, they have no experience, they have no kit, but they want to do their duty and they've been called back by their president and they're going.

"So what I'm doing is trying to help them as best I can, being an ex-military man myself, and understand what the soldiers are going through out there and obviously what these guys who are going are likely to encounter."

Among those arriving at the yard on Monday afternoon was Nastia Nizalova, a photographer from Dover, who came with a friend-of-a-friend she had never met before but who had volunteered to help with driving supplies to collection points.

The 25-year-old was formerly an A-level student at Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School in Canterbury.

She told us how the entire Ukrainian community in the UK was now working together – co-ordinated via social media – to do everything possible to support the war effort back home.

"I'm collecting supplies because that is right now the most important thing," she said.

"There are plenty of people on the ground doing things, but they don't have enough resources and just not enough equipment.

"At least for the moment, this is the best thing I can do from here.

"The diaspora in in the UK is very active now.

And what are the supplies most in demand for those men and women resisting the Russian attack?

"Mainly protection," she said. "So bulletproof vests and helmets, there's not enough. I know people are buying up and passing it on so wherever we can get any that's great.

"People fleeing also need a lot of things. But for the moment I think the highest priority is equipping all the guys and gals."

All those we spoke to during an afternoon at the yard, which sits just a short distance from the shops and takeaways of Cheriton High Street, told similar stories of friends and relatives in Ukraine.

They were also united in their absolute determination that their country will not be defeated, despite the might of one of the most formidable armies in the world being deployed against their home.

"We have something worth fighting for," Nastia said.

"We're protecting our country and they're invading. So Ukrainians have more motivation to protect what's ours and protect our culture.

"Frankly it started a long time before, but at least now people understand what's going on and I think also countries in the West are now realising exactly the threat.

"I think the goal now is to support Ukraine as much as possible because it probably won't stop there.

"It's mental. It's mental to receive messages like 'don't worry, I'm okay, we're in the shelter'. Is that a message I was supposed to get from my friend? No, probably not."

We asked Vitalii for his view of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose videos and social media posts from the encircled capital of Kyiv have made him a worldwide symbol of the nation's defiance.

"Oh, it's changed, completely changed, man," he said, admitting he did not vote for the actor-turned-politician.

"He is strong. We see he has a real power, you know? He can't be weak because of the people of the nation, you know. He is really strong. Now I change my opinion about him."

And how does he feel about the prospect of travelling back to Ukraine to join the armed resistance to the Russians?

"We are actually disappointed that no one gives us a rifle," he said of the decision to prioritise those with experience of battle.

"We are ready to go right now, to fight, we're ready. I wasn't in army, unfortunately, but I'm happy to give my life for Ukraine. We have to win and we will win. We will."

This is how you can help the people in Ukraine.