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Sinead Butler
Feb 28, 2022
Ukrainian drone strikes Russian missile launcher
Valery Zaluzhny
Since Russia launched a "full-on" invasion into Ukraine, there have been a plethora of videos circulating on social media that have gone viral - and this latest unverified footage is another example.
In Berdyansk, a port city in southeast Ukraine, a video has emerged showing one brave Ukrainian man, casually carrying what is being reported as a landmine across an empty street and into a forest, all while holding a lit cigarette in his mouth (perhaps to calm his nerves...)
The man who was sporting a black puffer jacket, jeans and dark trainers, walked off with the mine in hand - holding it at arm's length of course - as the clip ends, according to the Daily Mailit is an anti-tank mine.
On Twitter, The New Voice of Ukraine shared the footage in which it claimed the man removed the landmine from the road in order to clear the way for the Ukrainian military.
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Since posting the video on February 27, it has received 2m views, with over 28,000 likes.
A Ukrainian in Berdyansk spotted a mine on the road and didn't wait around for a bomb disposal unit - at great risk to life and limb, he removed the mine, clearing the way for the Ukrainian military.pic.twitter.com/iC9ZTrixlC— The New Voice of Ukraine (@The New Voice of Ukraine) 1645972779
People on Twitter had plenty of praise for the Ukrainian man "with balls of steel" who was still able to enjoy his ciggy while carrying out the dangerous task.
The risk management professional side of me applauds this chap for looking both ways before crossing the road.https://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— The Dan Kaszeta \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@The Dan Kaszeta \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1646033460
I literally held my breath when I watched this.https://twitter.com/NewVoiceUkraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Phil Stewart (@Phil Stewart) 1645982980
The bravery of every day Ukrainian citizens is remarkable. As is the bravery of citizens enduring invasions and wars less visible in the media - including Afghanistan and Palestine. Don\u2019t forget them.https://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Amy Remeikis (@Amy Remeikis) 1646015823
He didn\u2019t even put down his smoke. Nerves of steel.https://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— David Cochrane (@David Cochrane) 1645985662
Balls of steel. Slava Ukraini!https://twitter.com/NewVoiceUkraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Iain Dale \u2692\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Iain Dale \u2692\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1645982937
Cig still in his mouth, what a Ghttps://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf0. (@\ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf0.) 1645987005
This video would be incredible under any circumstances. But the guy not dropping his cigarette while removing a land mine is makes it an absolute classic.https://twitter.com/NewVoiceUkraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Andrew Downie (@Andrew Downie) 1645976332
With a smoke\u2026 lol not all heros wear capeshttps://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Joseph David \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b (@Joseph David \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b) 1645982687
Christ. So brave.https://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Roger Moorhouse \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Roger Moorhouse \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1645994813
I\u2019ve watched this so many times and I can\u2019t get over how badass and brave this ishttps://twitter.com/newvoiceukraine/status/1497944521635680259\u00a0\u2026— Katy Robbins (@Katy Robbins) 1646013165
This is not the first video that has gone viral since the conflict began, with one clip showing a Ukrainian man mocking Russian troops to their face and offering them a “tow them back to Russia."
Another video that has emerged appears to show a Ukrainian man attempting to stop a convoy of Russian trucks by himself.
However, due to the nature of social media, there has been an example of misleading viral footage being shared claiming to show "The Ghost of Kyiv" an urban legend of a Ukrainian pilot who shot down six Russian planes on the first day of fighting - in action.
Turns out this footage was not the mysterious pilot but footage from a simulation game, according to fact-checkers.
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