The day after Crimea's controversial referendum, in which 97 percent of the peninsula's population supposedly voted to join the Russian Federation, Ukraine's newly-formed National Guard began training in anticipation of further Russian aggression. Against the backdrop of exploding RPGs, the crackling of heavy machine guns, and the rumbling cannons of the BTRs, Ukrainian officials and the international media got a first look at the ragtag civilian force that could be on the front lines of the new cold war.