Brave Ukrainian woman walks up to Russian soldier: ‘Carry sunflower seeds so they grow when you die’

One brave woman has gone viral for standing up to Russian soldiers who had invaded Ukraine. The unidentified woman told them in no uncertain terms to leave the country, even as she was outnumbered by multiple Russian soldiers. She gave them a rollicking in the middle of the street in broad daylight before handing them sunflower seeds and told them, "You should put these sunflower seeds in your pockets so that they will grow on Ukrainian land after you die." The video was posted to Twitter where it immediately went viral. The video has been watched more than 4.8 million times and garnered more than 137k likes. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his troops were carrying out a “special military operation” in Ukraine earlier this week.

As Russian soldiers made their way into the country, the people of Ukraine are putting up a bold fight and resisting the presence of the soldiers. This badass woman summed up the reaction of the people of Ukraine as she gave soldiers a dressing down in the street. Despite being alone, she confronted the troops and asked what they were doing here before reminding them that they had no right to be there. "Who are you?" she can be heard asking. "We have exercises here," one of the soldiers reply. "What kind of exercises? Are you Russian?" When the soldier confirms they are Russian, she asks them, "So what are you doing here? You're occupants, you're fascists! What the f*ck are you doing on our land with all these guns? Take these seeds and put them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here."

The sunflower is also Ukraine's national flower. The soldier, who had made their way to Henichesk, a port city on the sea of Azov, seemed embarrassed and tried to calm her down but she wasn't having it. "Let's not escalate this situation," the soldier tells her and she replies, "What situation? Guys, guys. You came to my land. Do you understand? You are occupiers. You are enemies," she told them.

"From this moment, you are cursed," she tells them. "Let's not escalate the situation," the soldier says and she brutally replies, "How can it be further escalated? You f*cking came here uninvited. Pieces of sh*t." She then walks away from them says one final time, "You should put sunflower seeds in your pockets so that they will grow on Ukrainian land after you die." Many lauded her bravery. "This woman is my hero," wrote one person.  

With Russians launching an attack on Kyiv, Ukraine President Zelenskiy has urged western countries to provide military support and called on them to impose harsher sanctions on Russia. “We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of Nato membership? Everyone is afraid,” said President Zelenskiy, reported The Guardian. It was believed that Russia would be blocked from using Swift, an international payments system through which it receives foreign currency, but the EU decided against it. Many believe it could prove to be the harshest sanction on Russia. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, didn't hide his anger after learning the decision of the EU. “I will not be diplomatic on this,” he tweeted. “Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from Swift has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.”

On Thursday, President Zelenskiy said 137 people have died as a result of the attacks with a further 316 being injured. Zelenskiy has declared martial law and forbidden all men between the ages of 18-60 to leave Ukraine. Russian people have also voiced their protest against the attack initiated by Putin in various cities including Moscow and St Petersburg. The Russian police have arrested at least 1,702 people in 53 cities for protesting the invasion. The UN refugee agency predicts 4 million people will flee Ukraine “if the situation escalates further.”

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.