BE PREPARED

Taiwanese Spooked by Ukraine War Flock to Get Gun Training

“The Ukraine-Russia war has made the threat from across the Strait real,” one man said.

Taiwanese spooked by the war in Ukraine are signing up for gun training in record numbers. Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion has raised fears on the island that China might turn to force to implement its One China policy. Reuters reports that in the three months since Putin’s invasion, bookings for training sessions with low-power airsoft guns—actual guns are tightly controlled—have nearly quadrupled. “The Ukraine-Russia war has made the threat from across the Strait real,” said Chang Yu, a 34-year-old tour guide who signed up at a shooting range in Taipei. “It made us think how we should prepare ourselves if that happens in Taiwan.”