Right now, the whole world is looking on in horror as Russia continues their “military operation” in Ukraine.
However, far from waiting to be occupied, it seems Ukrainians won’t be giving up without a fight – even if they might be outmatched in terms of firepower.
A Ukrainian woman embodied this spirit perfectly when she reportedly bravely confronted a fully armed Russian soldier in the neighbourhood.
She even put a curse on him for good measure – one that impressed netizens with its poetry and power.
Footage of the heart-stopping confrontation was posted on Twitter by Ukraine World, an account run by media organisation Internews Ukraine.
According to their tweet, the incident happened in Henychesk, a city in southern Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast, which is just next to the annexed Crimea.
The 21-second clip begins with the white-haired woman already talking loudly to the soldier, who is full combat gear including rifle and helmet.
Though she’s speaking in a language that would be incomprehensible to the average Singaporean, it’s clear from her volume and tone of voice that it’s not a friendly chat.
Betraying no sign of fear, she even points aggressively at the soldier, who to his credit remains calm.
She then turns and walks off like a boss.
Another video of the incident posted on Twitter seemed to be taken by the woman herself, and showed the confrontation lasting much longer – about 1 minute.
From the surroundings, it appears to be a clip of the same incident – though this time we can see the tip of his rifle quite clearly.
The up-close-and-personal image of the soldier in his full combat gear highlights the tension of the moment in quite a visceral way.
Those who don’t speak Ukrainian or Russian will undoubtedly be curious as to what was said by the woman.
Luckily, a full transcript of the encounter translated into English has made its way online, and makes the woman’s actions seem even more remarkable.
She basically marched up to the soldier and asked him who he was, to which he replied that they were conducting “exercises”.
She pressed on, asking him if he was Russian, to which he confirmed that he was.
The woman, basically risking her life, then used a vulgarity on him, asking him what he’s doing here.
She then told the soldier that they’re “occupants” and “facists”, adding,
What the f**k are you doing on our land with all these guns?
The Russian soldier could’ve lost his cool at this point, and used his weapon on her.
Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he tried not to escalate the situation.
The woman wasn’t done yet, though – she offered quite a creative but no less bone-chilling curse to the soldiers,
Take these seeds and put them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.
Basically, she didn’t just wish death upon the soldiers.
She also hoped that sunflowers would grow on their bodies. As sunflowers are Ukraine’s national flower, that might be quite a humiliation for any Russian soldier.
Now, that’s quite a powerful curse indeed.
The soldier had no response besides asking her not to escalate the situation.
However, she makes a good point, replying,
How can it be further escalated? You f**king came here uninvited.
The woman’s bravery has made waves all over the world, given that the short clip has had 5 million views since Thursday (24 Feb) night.
Many replies lauded the woman, with some calling her a hero.
Others also admired how the woman was “badass” and trying to defend her country from enemies.
Several were also impressed by her poetic curse.
It seems that the world is being inspired by the defiance and bravery of Ukrainians while their country is under siege.
Their refusal to buckle despite an increasing number of casualties is certainly admirable, and many of us would hope to emulate them if something similar happens to our country.
While it’s uncertain what the future holds for Ukraine, we hope the conflict will come to an end soon.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured images adapted from @ukraine_world on Twitter and @ian_tanya on Twitter.
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