Lone Ukrainian tries to stop column of Russian ‘Z’ armoured cars in echo of Tiananmen Square ‘Tank Man’ protest
A FEARLESS Ukrainian was pictured trying to stop a column of Russian "Z" armoured cars.
His brave act echoes Tiananmen Square's "Tank Man" who stood up in front of Chinese forces in June 1989.
The image of the protestor quickly became a powerful symbol of both the Tiananmen Square Massacre and of non-violent resistance.
And now a similar brave act was filmed in Ukraine, where the Russian President launched a bloody attack yesterday.
The video, believed to have been filmed in the south of the country near Crimea has been revealed as Russian forces assaulted on all fronts as they attempted a lightning strike of Ukraine.
But Ukrainian soldiers fought back and claimed they killed or captured 800 troops and destroyed 30 tanks.
Another brave Ukrainian soldier blew himself up to destroy a bridge and stop Russian forces from storming towards Kyiv.
Ukraine's armed forces confirmed that Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych died while trying to fend off a column of Russian tanks at the Henichesk bridge, Kherson region.
Earlier today thirteen Ukrainian soldiers refused to surrender and bravely told a Russian warship to "go f**k yourselves" before they were massacred.
The defiant border guards had been tasked with protecting Snake Island in the Black Sea from Russian invaders.
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Shocking footage revealed the dramatic moment Sun reporter Jerome Starkey was forced to take cover from Russian shells exploding on the front line today.
It comes as:
- All eyes are on Kyiv with Putin's forces expected to launch an assault on the city of 2.9million people
- Defiant Ukrainian soldiers are using UK missiles to fight off Putin's invasion
- Kyiv's troops managed to recapture a key airport after a botched helicopter assault by the Russians
- Russia managed to capture Chernobyl power plant - sparking fears of a new nuclear disaster
- At least 1,500 people have been arrested in Russia for protesting against the war in Ukraine
- Thousands of Brits are fleeing as 1million people are on the move in mass exodus from Ukraine
- Western sanctions are targeting Russian money as Boris Johnson branded Putin as a "bloodstained aggressor"
- Tom Tugendhat MP, chair of the foreign affairs committee, wrote in The Sun that Putin and his "band of thieves" must be punished
The capital is currently under attack by groups of Russian troops wearing Ukrainian uniforms amid fears Kyiv could fall within 96 hours.
Putin's forces boasted they had swooped in with 200 helicopters and paratroopers to seize the location.
Explosions were heard overnight as from the capital after yesterday's full-scale invasion.
Ukrainians have been warned they now face their "hardest day" with an expected all-out offensive by the Russians from the air, land and sea.
Citizens were urged to take up arms, make up Molotov cocktail firebombs, and use commercial drones to defend their homes.
Ukrainian forces fought fiercely - repelling a number of attacks as they pushed back against Putin's forces.
Pictures showed destroyed Russian vehicles littering the roadside, dead Russian soldiers, and captured Russian troops.
And while there are question marks over the accuracy of Kyiv's figures, UK intelligence agrees that Russia suffered heavy losses and made no meaningful gains on day one.
US intelligence has warned the capital could fall within 96 hours as Russian forces move within just 20 miles after seizing nearby Chernobyl.
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The first day of fighting saw thousands fleeing across the borders in a bid to get to neighbouring Eastern European countries.
At least 100,000 Ukrainians have fled the country with many heading towards Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania.