Ukrainians have been resourceful, brave, and amazingly courageous
When Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to invade their neighbours, he expected the operation to be over in less than a week, with little resistance from Ukrainians.
Clearly, he didn’t know what they were capable of.
Despite being outgunned and outnumbered, the citizens of Ukraine have been ingenious in their attempts to keep Russian troops at bay, unbelievably resourceful – at times even funny – but most of all, they’ve displayed immeasurable courage.
Here’s but a few examples of why the world has fallen in love with Ukraine’s fighting spirit.
1) Brewery makes beer bottles with ‘Putin is a dickhead on them’
As Russian forces approached Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the government advised citizens to take shelter and stay away from windows – and how to make a molotov cocktail.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cab5LJuosOA/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaexywLtPa5/?utm_source=ig_embed
The Pravda Brewery then got involved, making beer that is easy to turn into an improvised incendiary weapon.
It even put a fitting label on it, ‘Putin Huilo’ – which translates to “Putin is a d***head”. The brewery, who sent a case of the beer to the Kremlin in Moscow, is now appealing for donations so it can continue producing the beer.
Videos on social media have shown Ukrainians repelling Russian military vehicles by hurling Molotov cocktails at them (the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence even issued a how-to graphic) and hundreds of locals have been seen getting together to make and stockpile the weapon.
https://twitter.com/GeneralStaffUA/status/1498373292754980869
No comments pic.twitter.com/cSsddAWSYL
— IgorGirkin (@GirkinGirkin) February 28, 2022
A group of Ukrainians was preparing Molotov cocktails to welcome Russian invaders. But one guy seemed dissatisfied. His regret: Russian armored vehicles may all get burnt by someone else before he can put his cocktail to practice. pic.twitter.com/NbzGYQ2qok
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 28, 2022
2) Stopping tanks without using weapons
As tanks have rolled through city streets and along country roads, many Ukrainians have taken it upon themselves to try and stop their advance – on foot.
In scenes reminiscent of the famous 1989 ‘Tank Man’ image from Tiananmen Square, one man tried to stop a convoy of Russian vehicles by standing in the road.
✊🏻Українець кидається під ворожу техніку, щоб окупанти не проїхали pic.twitter.com/cZ29kknqhB
— NV (@tweetsNV) February 25, 2022
Then there was this show of defiance by another man, who tried to halt an advancing tank with his bare hands.
Ukrainians stopping Russian tanks with their bare hands. I have never felt this much love pic.twitter.com/10CWLcOKUX
— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) February 26, 2022
And on another occasion, dozens of Ukrainians managed to push back a Russian tank by walking at it as a group.
https://twitter.com/antiputler_news/status/1497843820091871235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1497843820091871235%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fastonishing-video-shows-hundreds-of-ukrainians-force-russian-tanks-to-stop-by-walking-at-them-319817
The footage was perhaps best summed up by one person who commented: “A million raindrops create a thunderstorm.”
3) You can’t park here!
Brave Ukrainians haven’t just been blocking tanks – they’ve been forcibly removing them as well.
One amusing video, shared on Twitter by Tory MP and former British Army Officer Johnny Mercer, shows a plucky farmer towing away a Russian armoured vehicle using his tractor.
No expert, but the invasion doesn’t seem to be going particularly well.
Ukrainian tractor steals Russian APC today 👇 pic.twitter.com/exutLiJc5v
— Rt Hon Johnny Mercer (@JohnnyMercerUK) February 27, 2022
Just needs some Benny Hill music over it.
4) Motorist asks soldiers if they want tanks ‘towed back to Russia’
In times of struggle and crisis, the best of us can maintain a sense of humor, and that’s not been in short supply in Ukraine, where brave locals have openly mocked their invaders with burns so bad they’ve even laughed back.
This is best encapsulated in the video below which shows a Ukrainian man offering to “tow” some stranded Russian troops who have run out of fuel back to their home country.
After more conversation, the Russian troops admit they don’t even know where they’re going.
A priceless exchange of a brave Ukrainian citizen with Russian army stuck out of fuel. ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
[Thanks to my Ukrainian friend for transcription and translation] pic.twitter.com/Rar3WRXEwD
— Ali 🖤🕊 (@aliostad) February 26, 2022
5) We’ve all said it but never has a ‘get f***ed’ been so powerful
One of the most astonishing stories of the last week has been that of the 13 border guards on Snake Island, who refused to surrender to a Russian warship.
They didn’t just refuse to back down either – they replied to the directive with a stern, “get f***ed.”
View this post on Instagram
Initial reports had said the sailors were killed after this show of defiance, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he would be honouring them all with the Hero of Ukraine award.
But it later emerged that the guards were in fact alive and had been taken prisoner by Russian forces.
6) Ukrainian sailor sinks Russian boss’s luxury yacht
It’s not just Ukrainians on home soil making their feelings against Russia known. Continuing the maritime theme, this sailor partially sunk his Russian tycoon boss’s superyacht in Mallorca.
The Ukrainian sailor, who has not been named, allegedly opened the ship’s valves, causing it to partially sink.
The 158-foot-long boat is owned by Alexander Mijeev, a former head of the Russian Helicopter Corporation, who took over Russian state-owned weapons supplier Rostec in 2016.
When civil guards came to arrest the sailor, he reportedly said: “The owner of this ship is a criminal who makes his living selling weapons and now they kill Ukrainians.”
Released pending trial. No jury will convict.
Un marinero ucraniano hunde el yate de un magnate ruso en Mallorca porque “fabricaba bombas para el ejército de Rusia” https://t.co/96iJp24sQt #larazon_es
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 28, 2022
8) President declines evacuation request, says ‘send ammunition’
We couldn’t discuss the incredible resistance and spirit Ukraine is showing without mentioning their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a time of floundering leaders and declining trust in politics, Zelenskyy – who has a colourful past as an actor and comedian – has been a pillar of strength and inspiration, standing side-by-side with his people.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion, Zelenskyy has posted videos of himself in the streets of Kyiv, reminding his people that he is fighting for, and with them, and isn’t going anywhere.
Foreign allies have offered to evacuated Zelenskyy – reports have suggested the Kremlin sent more than 400 mercenaries to assassinate him – but his reply, I need “ammunition, not a ride.”
Не вірте фейкам. pic.twitter.com/wiLqmCuz1p
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
https://www.instagram.com/p/CakFJ79g7yC/
9) Read the sign language Russia
As simple as it is ingenious, road signs have been changed in Ukraine so the enemy gets lost.
A Ukrainian roads company altered signs so instead of giving directions, they read “Go f**k yourself back to Russia.”
Ukravtodor announced the move in a Facebook post which read: “The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain”.
“Let’s help them go straight to hell.”
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=321509096674374&set=a.293428506149100&type=3
Their plan has been backed by the country’s Ministry of Defence, which is calling on the public to take down any signs that may help Russian troops.
The aim is to “confuse and disorient the enemy who is illegally moving around Ukraine.”
10) Age is no barrier – 80-year-old tries to enlist ‘for his grandkids’
Everyone in Ukraine wants to play their part in defending the country, no matter how old they are.
This image of an 80-year-old man trying to enlist in the Ukrainian army went viral after being shared on Twitter.
The man reportedly said he was “doing it for his grandkids,” and had a bag of spare clothes, sandwiches, and a toothbrush with him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CacJLOuom4m/
11) Ukrainians heading home to fight
Ukrainians are uniting in defence of their country, no matter where in the world they are.
The BBC spoke to one group of men in London who were buying surplus military equipment to join the fight, unable to sit back and watch their country be attacked.
Some have military experience, others don’t. But they all want to protect their nation.
In a corner of a London industrial estate, a group of Ukrainian men are preparing for battle. https://t.co/jxZboNBTvr
— BBC London (@BBCLondonNews) March 1, 2022
Leon Dawson, along with a select group of friends and fellow brave volunteers, was stopped by Sky News when visiting the Ukrainian embassy in London to offer their help.
When asked by the reporter why he wanted to sign up, Dawson – who owns a gym in Surrey – simply said: “They look like they need help. We’re young, strong, fit men – we can help. So, why not?”
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1498588855691141122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1498588855691141122%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Flife%2Fbritish-man-with-no-links-to-ukraine-and-no-military-experience-signs-up-to-fight-russia-320190
12) Soldier makes ultimate sacrifice to stop advancing Russian troops
In an incredible display of heroism, one Ukrainian soldier sacrificed his own life in an attempt to halt the advance of Russian forces, when he blew up a bridge he was standing on.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Vitaliy Skakun Volodymyrovych had been tasked with setting up explosives on the Henichesk Bridge near Crimea to block the route of Russian forces.
"To stop the advance of the tank column, the decision was to blow up the Henichesk bridge. The engineer Skakun Vitaliy volunteered to perform this task. He mined the brdige but couldn't leave and blew it up together with himself." The unit successfully redeployed – Land Forces pic.twitter.com/7eMWTv03kX
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 25, 2022
However, when he realised he would not be able to get off the bridge in time to blow it up before Russian troops crossed, he decided to sacrifice himself and trigger the explosives whilst he was still on it.
According to Ukrainian armed forces, his sacrifice “significantly slowed down the push of the enemy, allowing the unit to relocate and organize defense.”
He will be posthumously honoured with an award for his actions.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, Boris Johnson admitted that the war in Ukraine was “worse than our predictions”, but paid tribute to the “astonishing” resistance put up by the Ukrainian people.
Johnson said Putin has “fatally underestimated” the resolve of Ukraine and the unity of the rest of the world against him.
“I think in this grim war, which is now in its sixth day, [Putin] has fatally under-estimated two things,” he said.
“The first is the passionate desire of the Ukrainian people to protect and defend their own country – their belief in their sovereign right to defend themselves.
“And may I pay tribute, by the way, to the leadership and courage that is being shown by Volodymyr Zelensky. I think he has inspired and mobilised not only his own people, he’s inspiring and mobilising the world in outrage at what is happening in Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin has also underestimated the unity and resolve of the west and of the rest of the world.”
If you want to help Ukraine, we’ve compiled a list of things you can do and places that you can donate to, which you can find here.
Related links:
- Will Putin actually use nuclear weapons? Here’s what you need to know
- Putin may have already used thermobaric weapons in Ukraine – but what are they?
- British man with no links to Ukraine and no military experience signs up to fight Russia
- Mysterious symbols appear on Ukraine buildings ‘as target clues for Russian invaders’
