NextSharkNextShark.com
Latest Newsletter🍵 AAPI restaurants lost $7.4 billionRead

Article

News
ukraine

Ukrainians filmed attempting to block Russian tanks sparks comparisons to Tank Man of Tiananmen Square

Bryan Ke

Bryan Ke

February 28, 2022

ukraine tank man

  • A pair of Ukrainian men are being applauded online for trying to stop armored vehicles from infiltrating their country during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

  • One of the men was recorded on camera as he tried to stop the armored vehicles on what appears to be a highway.

  • The other man was filmed in Bakhmach, Ukraine, as he threw his body on top of a tank to prevent it from moving forward.

  • The two men’s acts of defiance went viral and were compared to that of the iconic Tank Man, an unidentified lone protester who attempted to stop a phalanx of Chinese tanks from driving through Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989.

Asian America Daily - in under 5 minutes

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories, to your inbox daily, for free!

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive

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. 

The man climbed on top of one of the tanks to speak with a crew member before being taken away by two men believed to be government officials. It is unclear what happened

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) 

Support our Journalism with a Contribution

Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.

Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.

However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.

We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way.  Thank you for everyone's support. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough.

Support NextShark

Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Discover, Paypal