Video shows Ukrainians standing in front of Russian tanks to stop them

Ukrainians are refusing to bow before Russia's might and every day there are countless instances of the people standing up for themselves and their country. Over the past few days, there have been multiple videos of people putting their lives on the line to stop the Russian army from advancing on Kyiv. Many are even provoking the Russian soldiers and calling them out at the risk of being attacked or killed. One video believed to have been shot in Koryukivka shows a group of Ukrainian people walking in front of a Russian tank to stop it from advancing any further. The tank attempts to swerve past the people but there are simply too many people on the road risking their lives to stop the progression of the Russian military into Kyiv, reported God.DailyDot. "People stop Russian fascists and do not let them into their city!!!" read the caption of the video posted to Twitter.

In another video, a single man was seen standing in front of Russian tanks evoking memories of Tiananmen square. An unidentified Chinese man stood in front of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests that resulted in the deaths of at least 10,000 people, according to BBC. The visuals of 'tank man' standing before the tanks became one of the most iconic images in history. Anastasiia Lapatina, a journalist from Ukraine, shared the video of the man refusing to give way for the tank and even pushing it back with his hands. "Ukrainians stopping Russian tanks with their bare hands. I have never felt this much love," wrote Anastasiia on Twitter.

 Many noted that Russian soldiers were reluctant about going to war and said the video was further proof of it. "Notably, the Russians in that tank didn't fire on the Ukrainians trying to stop them. Russian soldiers, many of whom are conscripts, might not be as enthusiastic about this war as Putin is. If anything they might be reluctant participants. If so they'll tell family and friends," wrote one person. 

One of the more poignant stories of the invasion included a set of soldiers from Snake Island in the Black Sea, who refused to surrender when a Russian warship asked them to stand down. Not only did the soldiers not bow down, one of them responded, "Russian warship, go f*** yourself." Initially, it was feared that the men were killed but the Ukrainian Navy has since confirmed that they are actually "alive and well," reported CNN. The audio of the defiant response from the soldiers on day one of the invasion had gone viral on the internet.

At the time, they were believed to be dead and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the 13 soldiers died "heroically" by Russian bombardment. The Ukrainian Navy said the island had repelled two attacks by Russian forces but ultimately surrendered "due to the lack of ammunition." The Navy's statement claimed that the Russians had destroyed the island's infrastructure, including lighthouses, towers and antennas.

On Tuesday, fresh satellite images revealed that a Russian military convoy stretching 40 miles had reached the outskirts of Kyiv. Videos of the city of Kharkiv being bombed shocked the world on Tuesday and showed that Russians had amped up their attack on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes for bombing Kharkiv, reported Al Jazeera. Zelensky said Russia had launched 56 rocket strikes and fired 113 cruise missiles over the five days. “I believe that Russia is trying to apply pressure in this unsubtle way. Do not waste time. We do not accept such tactics. Fair negotiations can occur when one side does not hit the other side with rocket artillery at the very moment of negotiations,” he said.

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 of developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.