The trainees know the area well – it's where they grew up, Ukraine Today reports. Many of them fled the region because of the fighting, but today these men and women are being sworn in to become fully-fledged members of Ukraine's border guard service.

Their teachers were officers who served over the past 18 months in Ukraine's conflict zone. They've passed on their knowledge and experience.

These newly-certified servicemen and women will now be deployed in the Donetsk region of east Ukraine on the country's de facto border.

See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.