It was an image that made the world gasp in wonder and admiration. In June of 1989, when the Chinese Communists decided to crack down on students and others in Tiananmen Square for pro-democracy protests, the bloody night of tanks rolling over students resulted in at least 2,700 dead.
That next morning, as Chinese Red Army tanks rolled down the empty streets and gunfire could be heard in the distance, a lone protester walked calmly in front of a brigade of tanks. He stood bravely, resolutely, and only moved when the lead tank tried to get around him.
He then climbed on top of the tank as people in the background were cheering him on. He climbed down and once again blocked the tank’s progress. Finally, fearing for his life, some of his friends rushed out and led him away.
It was an amazing display of courage and heart. Now, in a far less public place but with courage that mirrors that of the Chinese student, a lone Ukrainian civilian got in front of a convoy of Russian armored vehicles to register his own protest.
Before this young man is elevated to sainthood, we should keep in mind that there are a lot of faked and propaganda videos circulating in the western media and on the internet.
The 30-second clip, shared by Ukrainian news outlet HB, appears genuine in that it doesn’t look staged. And the voice of concern by the woman in the background doesn’t sound faked.
“Ukrainian rushes under enemy equipment so that the occupiers do not pass,” HB tweeted.
The video sparked comparisons to the photo of a man standing down a line of four Chinese tanks in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The image, taken after the Chinese government had brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protests, has become a symbol of defiance in the face of authoritarianism, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential of all time.
It is unclear where the video was filmed. More than 10 vehicles are in the convoy, many of which appear to have a “Z” painted on the side. The Z symbol was spotted on Russian military trucks as troops gathered at the Ukraine border.
The guy was extremely fortunate. Unlike the Chinese soldiers in 1989, the Russian tanks in 2022 appear to delight in mowing down civilians.
Watch this Russian tank go out of its way to crush a civilian car.
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