A video which apparently shows a Ukrainian man attempting to block a Russian military convoy has gone viral online, with comparisons being drawn to the “tank man” of Tiananmen Square.
The 30-second clip, shared by Ukrainian news outlet HB, shows a man standing in front of what appear to be military vehicles. As the vehicles try to swerve around him, the man jockeys to the side, seemingly in an attempt to block their progress.
“Ukrainian rushes under enemy equipment so that the occupiers do not pass,” HB tweeted.
✊🏻Українець кидається під ворожу техніку, щоб окупанти не проїхали pic.twitter.com/cZ29kknqhB
— НВ (@tweetsNV) February 25, 2022
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.
“Amazingly brave Ukrainian tries to stop a Russian military convoy by blocking the vehicles with his body just like the ‘Tank Man’ in Tiananmen Square,” Henry Langston, a freelance journalist, tweeted.
In the clip someone can be heard gasping as a truck appears to swerve around the man in the road. One of the vehicles veers off the side of the road in order to get past.
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.
