Ukrainian civilians try to block Russian tanks advancing through their town
Video shows a man jumping on a Russian tank in Bakhmach, attempting to stop it from moving toward Kyiv 109 miles away
Ukrainian citizens in the town of Bakhmach, some 175 kilometers (109 miles) northeast of the capital of Kyiv, attempted to block Russian tanks advancing, according to video footage that circulated on social media on Saturday.
In one video of the incident, a man was seen stepping in front of a tank and then jumping on top, as it continued to roll forward.
He then jumped off and attempted to stop the tank, which was forced to halt for a brief moment.
Bystanders then pulled him aside as the tank moved forward, before stopping again when another man stood in front of it.
People also tried to throw bicycles under the tanks to make them stop.
The video was picked up by CNN, which has confirmed its authenticity and location.
Local resistance in northeastern Ukraine, where residents were filmed trying to block and push back a Russian tank column trying to advance through their town. pic.twitter.com/q1VwvwFOBA
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) February 26, 2022
“People are begging the tanks to stop,” the woman speaking in the video said, according to a translation by CNN.
The video is the latest example of the fierce resistance put up by Ukrainian defense forces and Ukrainian citizens in recent days, somehow managing to slow down the advance of the larger and better-armed Russian military closing in on the capital.
More than 150,000 Ukrainians have fled for Poland, Moldova and other neighboring countries, and the United Nations warned the number could grow to 4 million if fighting escalates.
European nations and the US rushed assistance to Ukraine, including more ammunition and weapons, and have announced another round of powerful sanctions aimed at further isolating Russia from the global financial system.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there would be no surrender to the Russian aggression.
“There is a lot of fake information on the networks that I am calling on our army to surrender and that there is an evacuation, but I am here. We will not lay down our weapons. We will fight for our land,” he said.
But as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on early Sunday, Zelensky said his country was ready for peace talks with Russia, though not in Belarus as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested.
