Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has the entire world on edge, with images and videos on social media showing the intensity of the fighting, and all too many heartbreaking moments as well.
One clip shows a woman completely unperturbed as she confronts a heavily armed Russian soldier, and it’s easy to see why the brief exchange has gone viral.
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It took place in the city of Henychesk in Kherson region.
A port city on the Sea of Azov, Henychesk is part of Ukraine’s southern region. Russia has been targeting various areas of the country, but the Sea of Azov — and the Black Sea, which is connected — are areas of strategic significance.
The video opens with an image of a Ukrainian woman staring down a Russian soldier.
The confrontation , first posted on Twitter by @ukraine_world, begins with a shot of largely deserted city streets. A couple of heavily armed Russian soldiers are on patrol, and one of them is being confronted by a local woman.
The camera zooms in.
While they aren’t speaking English, their argument can be easily heard. The woman starts out by bluntly asking the soldier, “What the [expletive] are you doing here?!” The soldier said they were doing exercises and asked her to leave.
She didn’t leave.
The soldier does his best to de-escalate the situation, but the woman isn’t having it. She correctly identifies him and the other soldiers in the area as an occupying force.
Here’s the best part.
The full video can be viewed here. At the end of the video, the woman takes a handful of sunflower seeds (Ukraine’s national flower) from her pocket and offers them to the soldier, saying, “Take these seeds and put them in your pockets so at least sunflowers will grow after you die.”
The woman filmed the confrontation, too.
Although the camera is a bit shaky, the woman stands defiant. This video shows the same confrontation, just from her perspective.
Here’s the full transcript.
The transcript provides the full extent of the confrontation, including the fact that she placed a literal curse on the occupying troops. She also challenges the soldier when he warns her against ‘escalating’ the situation.
Responses have been flooding in of Twitter users sharing their support.
“Her bravery for standing up to a Russian soldier and offering him sunflower seeds at his grave is remarkable. I remember eating roasted Sunflower seeds while in Odessa a long while ago. It’s their national flower I think,” one person tweeted.
Many remarked on the significance of the sunflower seeds.
“Oooh a curse. It’s going to work, too. When you combine righteous fury with facing down in justice, that power is potent. I hope her words comes to fruition. Bless her. Bless them all,” read another tweet .
“I’m blinking at that last sentence. Wow. Wow.”
“I think I speak for a lot of Canadians when I say this reminds me of my Ukrainian grandmother,” one user tweeted .
Many remarked on the woman’s courage.
It takes a lot of bravery and heart to stand up to someone in such an uneasy, unfamiliar, and potentially dangerous situation.
Another user pointed out more significance for sunflowers.
It’s clear that Twitter became quite taken with this woman and her act of bravery.
It’s hardly the first example of Ukrainian defiance.
Although the country is fighting against a global superpower, they’re holding the line in many parts of the country. In the Black Sea, a Ukrainian warship responded to a Russian warship’s request to surrender with five succinct words: “Russian warship, go [expletive] yourself.”
Sadly, the Ukrainians were killed after refusing to lay down their arms.
The eyes of the world are on Ukraine.
It’s simultaneously refreshing to see Ukraine standing up to Russia, and horrifying to see the bloodshed that’s occurred in just a few days of fighting.
Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people, and we’ll continue to provide developments as the conflict develops.
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