Ukraine: Grandmother aka 'the punisher' latest army recruit to fight pro-Russian separatists

Meet 68-year-old Ekaterina Bilyik.

She is the latest recruit to join the Ukrainian Army in its fight against the pro-Russian separatists.

The brave pensioner dubbed "the punisher" by other squaddies said she wanted to "make a difference" and play her part in the war.

"I have lived here all my life and we survived the Nazi occupation and the Soviets, and I believe in standing up for what's right and making sure we never seen occupation again," she said.

"I wanted to set an example to show young people that no matter how old you are you can make a difference, and that was why I decided to sign up."

Some 4,808 people have been killed in the war since March last year and more than 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes, following the annexation of the Crimea peninsula by Russia.

Army spokesman Nataliya Ishenko confirmed Bilyik had completed her military training with the other younger army recruits.

She added: "We need to give them the message that Ukraine is a free country, and if they don't like it, they can go back to Russia."