The tiny port of Henichesk was taken by Russian forces on the first day of their invasion of Ukraine. They said it was a training exercise. An older woman in a white hat and black jacket walked up to a group of Russian soldiers carrying AK-74Ms. She could have been armed with the seeds.
Almost anyone who was paying attention to social media during the first few days of the invasion saw what happened next. Do you understand? You are occupying. Weakly warned not to escalate the situation, the woman shot back, "How can it be further escalate?" You came here without warning!
This was a fist-pumping moment for those who were watching for signs of how Ukraine would respond to the Russians. The woman's name was unknown, yet anyone who has ever witnessed a mother's righteous fury knew her. The Russian soldier sounded like he barely believed his training exercise excuse; he even agreed that he was an occupier. It took just over a minute for the confrontation to end, yet it was worth a thousand hours of state propaganda.
As the video spread to TikTok and Facebook, thousands of social media users commented on the effectiveness of the woman's curse and the sheer poetry of the sunflower threat. Nobody who saw it would forget that the flower is the national flower of Ukraine. Some users posted pictures of their orders to the Russian embassy.
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The advance guard in a torrent of videos showing ordinary Ukrainians taking incredibly brave actions was the sunflower woman. The first social media conflict is wide of the mark, but the immediacy of the videos helped spur a swift global response.
The virtual ground where Vladimir Putin's army of troll and bots fought for years to obfuscate almost every issue is now occupied by the people fighting his invasion force.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets a lot of credit. The former comedian's colorful biography seems tailor-made for modern attention spans, as evidenced by his Ukrainian Dancing With the Stars win and the fact that he provided the voice of Paddington in the Ukrainian version of the beloved bear. Zelenskyy has been posting videos of himself in Kyiv, surrounded by his government, and refusing to leave.
The contrast with Putin, now seen to be isolating himself even in meetings with his top lieutenants, could not be more clear.
Zelenskyy is not the only one taking a stand. His statement to American diplomats offering to fly somewhere safer was instantly memorable, but so were the words of the outgunned Ukrainian soldiers of Snake Island.
Courageous stories are an inspiration in wartime. If the recent case of a Ukrainian sailor attempting to sink a super-yacht is anything to go by, more Russian ships will be told to go fuck themselves.
We have gathered the most memorable videos, and will add to them as more arrive. We don't need to know who these anonymous heroes are because each features Ukrainians who have not been identified. Their humanity, casual courage, directness, and sense of humor shine through.
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The elderly Russian man who lives in Ukraine berates his fellow countrymen in uniform. The clip has been seen more than 3 million times.
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In this 38 second clip, viewed more than 10 million times, a man in the southern port of Berdiansk clears a landmine from a road with his bare hands. He has a cigarette in his mouth all the time.
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In normal times, Russians and Ukrainians see their countries as family. Many families have cross-border connections. That is the sense we get from this driver who stops to chat with the Russian soldiers whose armored vehicle has run out of diesel. The soldiers don't know where they're going. They are offered a lift back to Russia.
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Roughly one tractor for every square kilometer is the norm in Ukraine. Ukrainian farmers would use their rides to tow the Russian vehicles away from their intended destination. The second video shows a farmer grabbing another person with a tractor.
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The image recalls Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989 when another hero tried to stop the entire column of them. Dozens of people are joining together to prevent armored vehicles from moving down the road. In this March 1 video, a Russian soldier is seen firing into the air. He failed to clear the crowd.
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Remember that we are talking about human beings, anonymous though they may be, thanks to this viral thread. The danger is real.
Highlighting the resilience of Ukrainians is extremely important to boost their spirits. We must vow to support mental health once this war is over.
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