In Russia's southwest, some protest Putin's war-mongering while others prepare to join fight in Ukraine

As 85-year-old Lidiya Olshanskaya peers out the window of her apartment in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, her mind flashes back to when she was a five-year-old-girl standing in the same spot. 

During the Second World War, she watched German troops move into this city located 120 kilometres east of the Ukrainian border. 

She doesn't fear an invasion of her country now, but rather that her government launches one. 

"I just want some kind harmony and justice," she said. "What Putin is doing right now is deplorable. I would like my country to not be such a disgrace."

Rostov-on-Don, a city of one million in Russia's southwest, sits on the Don River, which empties into the Sea of Azov, where the coastline is shared by Ukraine and Russia.

As NATO officials warn that the Russian military is poised to strike Ukraine at any time, there are mixed feelings in Rostov-on-Don. Some residents are horrified, while others are recruiting volunteers to help fight.

There is both anger at Russia's aggressive posturing as well as preparation in case a larger battle flares up in eastern Ukraine — in a region some Russians believe should be part of Russia.

Lidiya Olshanskaya has been protesting for years. She took to the streets when Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, and again last year when opposition leader Alexei Navalny was jailed, after he nearly died from being poisoned. 

As part of a widespread government crackdown on dissent, the grandmother was fined the equivalent of $1,700 Cdn last year for taking part in demonstrations. 

Now when she holds a sign in public, Olshanskaya — one of few who still protest in Russia — is careful not to be outside for more than 10 minutes, and always alone. 

That's the tactic Russian activists are taking, because one-person pickets are the only method of protest that currently does not require prior approval from the authorities.

"The risk goes up all the time that they could arrest you," said Tatiana Sporisheva, 45, who spoke to CBC along with Olshanskaya in Rostov-on-Don earlier this week.

"We don't have big protests anymore, but that doesn't mean that people accept this [situation]."

Sporisheva, who made signs that read "Putin Is War" and "The War Is Near," began protesting Russia's military buildup back in November.