In a small sports recreation centre in the outskirts of Kyiv, more than 250 people gathered to meet Craig Jones for a Brazilian jujitsu (BJJ) masterclass.
It was not long after the city suffered one of its heaviest bombardments from Russian forces since the war began, but in this part of the world, combat sports are a way of life.
Former world champion boxer Vitaly Klitschko is the mayor, and brother Wladimir is an even greater boxing legend — both of whom have taken up arms in the country's defence.
"I'm trying to use my profile for something good — combat sports is massive for Eastern Europeans and BJJ is really popular in Ukraine," Jones told the ABC.
"It means a lot to the country."
BJJ may be a very different discipline to boxing, but Adelaide-born Jones is still able to attract hundreds of people to help them work on their grappling technique.
In late March, he travelled across the Polish border to Ukraine's capital, explaining his decision to travel to a war zone to his 400,000 followers.
"I'm here to support these people the only way I know how, through Jujitsu — and I'm not very f***ing good at that — but I can strangely sell-out a seminar," Jones said on his Instagram.
Jones is Australia's highest-profile BJJ competitor and grappling coach of former UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski.
He gained viral notoriety for his antics; such as crediting "nose beers" for his performances and choking out conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
But his plans in Ukraine were a little more purposeful.
"We raised around US$11,000 ($16,665) and that money went to individuals on the frontline. These [people] have to buy their own ammunition to protect their country and I wanted to do what would help," he said.
"It was the most people I've ever had come to a seminar.
"BJJ is massive in Ukraine, it's trained in the military and the police force so I knew coming [to Ukraine] could help people.
"I met people that have started training BJJ after losing limbs in the war."
Grappling with the reality of war
Jones's initial intention was to spend four days in the country, but after his arrival he was invited to travel east with a military escort towards the front lines.
"By the time I leave Ukraine, I will have been here for more than two weeks," he said.
"So I can say I've got a feeling for how these people are living their everyday lives."
For Jones, sharing the realities of life in Ukraine through his social media requires a balance; capturing the severity of the conflict and also the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
"It's surreal, there was a coffee shop and all of its windows were shattered the day after a missile attack in Kyiv, but they kept serving coffee and living life like normal," Jones said.
"I'm getting comments denying the situation in Ukraine — 'how can you do a seminar if the place is in war?' — life needs to go on and I'm trying to capture those moments.
"Meeting all the soldiers and the volunteers and to think about the bad things that can happen to this country without Western aid is really horrible to think about. These guys are heroes defending their people."
The 32-year-old travelled to the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region with Ukrainian fighters; wandering through destroyed homes.
"I saw this video game on the floor of a bombed home that I used to play in Australia as a kid — Medal of Honor: European Assault — I just never thought that something like that would be something we would have to live with again."
