Video of Ukrainian Man Removing Mine From Road Viewed Over 1M Times
Stories of Ukrainian citizens doing their part to push back against the Russian invasion continue to go viral online.
One of the latest instances comes out of Berdyansk, a port city in southeast Ukraine. A video clip, still unverified, has been making the rounds online showing a Ukrainian man, with a lit cigarette still held in his mouth, carrying what is allegedly a landmine across an empty street and into a wooded area. The 38-second clip ends while the man is still walking off with the mine in hand.
The man in the video was supposedly carrying the landmine off in order to clear the roadway for the Ukrainian military, according to a tweet featuring the video that was posted by The New Voice of Ukraine. The mine in the clip was specifically an anti-tank variety, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
A Ukrainian in Berdyansk spotted a mine on the road and didn't wait around for a bomb disposal unit - at great risk to life and limb, he removed the mine, clearing the way for the Ukrainian military. pic.twitter.com/iC9ZTrixlC
— The New Voice of Ukraine (@NewVoiceUkraine) February 27, 2022
The clip shared in that tweet has been viewed over 1 million times. Due to it being widely shared by numerous accounts, it is likely that it has been viewed more than that. A version of the clip tweeted out by an account called "Ukraine live," has been viewed a little under 117,000 times alone.
The "Ukraine live," however, also muddies the water on what the actual context is for the clip, which has become a problem with numerous on-the-ground reports in Ukraine. According to the account, the man was removing the mine after it had been found near some houses, not necessarily to clear the way for the military.
The clip is only one of many viral stories emerging out of the chaos in Ukraine in which civilians and soldiers go to great lengths to push back the Russian military.
One of the most prominent stories has been the so-called "Ghost of Kyiv," a supposedly real Ukrainian fighter pilot who is believed to have shot down six Russian planes. This would make the pilot, whoever they are, the first "Ace" of the 21st century and the first from Europe since World War II. Ace is a term given to any military pilot that downs at least five enemy planes.
As of now, there is no official evidence that the "Ghost of Kyiv" actually exists, with some equating the pilot to an "urban legend." Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's army, reported after the first day of fighting that at least six enemy planes had been shot down.
