Ukrainians filmed attempting to block Russian tanks sparks comparisons to Tank Man of Tiananmen Square
By Bryan Ke
Social media users are applauding two Ukrainian men for trying to stop Russian armored vehicles from invading their country, with their acts of defiance being compared to that of the iconic Tiananmen Square Tank Man.
In one video, which was tweeted by Ukrainian news outlet HB on Friday, a man can be seen trying to stop a fleet of Russian armored vehicles on what appears to be a highway, Sky News reported. The man, filmed from a distance, briefly tries to climb onto the vehicles while Russian troops swerve to avoid him.
“Ukrainian rushes under enemy equipment so that the occupiers do not pass,” HB wrote in the video’s caption, as translated by Sky News.
Another video, taken in Bakhmach, Ukraine, also made rounds on social media, CNN reported. It shows a similar moment in which a man throws his body on top of a tank to prevent it from moving forward. The man then gets down on his knees in protest while onlookers attempt to bring him back to safety.
The two men’s acts of defiance went viral and were compared to that of the Tank Man, a lone unidentified protester who attempted to stop a phalanx of Chinese tanks from driving through Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989.
to Tank Man following the incident, but reports have suggested that he was either executed or sent to jail.
Here is what some people wrote about the two Ukrainian men on Twitter:
(25 retweets, 63 likes)
(12 retweets, 15 likes)
Featured Image via Guardian News, typoprone (top left)
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