Ukraine Soldier Heroically Holds off Russian Troops All by Himself in Video

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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A video shared on social media appears to bear witness to the last moments of a Ukrainian soldier surrounded by Russian troops, as the man tries to hold off the enemy by himself.

Drone footage from the front in Ukraine appears to show a soldier fighting alone in a trench against Russian troops until he is overwhelmed by enemy fire.

The video, shared on his Twitter account by Illia Ponomarenko, defense reporter with The Kyiv Independent, follows the exchange of fire between Russian troops and the Ukrainian soldier for one minute and 20 seconds, during which we see a group of at least seven Russian troops advance in the trench toward the Ukrainian soldier, who's alone a few feet away.

A longer version of the video was published by pro-Russian government channels, including a YouTube channel called "French Foreign Legionnaire from the USSR." Russian sources say the video shows separatists from the People's Republic of Luhansk advancing through Novotoshkovka, in the Popsana region of Luhansk.

The footage makes for harrowing viewing.

The Ukrainian soldier can be seen crouching as Russian troops advance on the other side of a trench.

The Ukrainian soldier faces the Russians and fire is exchanged before the Ukrainian appears to fall to the ground, likely hit by Russian fire.

The Russian troops continue to advance until they meet another Ukrainian soldier, who starts firing at the enemy.

A Ukrainian unit further along the trench appears to retreat at that point, as only two soldiers stay behind, hidden inside side trenches of the main trench. As firing continues, one of the remaining Ukrainian soldiers can be seen peeking out as the other one runs back to join his unit.

The lone Ukrainian soldier continues fighting on his own against the Russian troops. He is soon surrounded by thick black smoke as grenades fall around him.

At one point, he can be seen grabbing a grenade that has fallen close to him and throwing it away before it explodes. At the end of the video, ammunition appears to explode right where the soldier was crouching.

The video is undated and its exact location isn't specified, but as snow can still be seen lingering on the ground, it could be a few weeks old. It's unclear from the clip whether the Ukrainian soldier was left behind or decided to stay and make sure his comrades had safely escaped.

Drone
Drone footage shows a lone Ukrainian soldier in a trench holding off the advance of Russian troops. youtube

YouTube users commenting on the video, even those likely on the Russian side, saluted the bravery of the lone Ukrainian soldier who fought until the end in such a desperate situation.

"I'm Russian, but soldiers like this Ukrainian guy do honor to any army they serve in," wrote one user.

"Don't really support the Ukrainian cause in this war. However, big salute to that brave dude fighting alone in the center," wrote another.

"Sad and disturbing… I'm not a fan of Ukraine, but that last fellow—a hero," another commented.

Twitter users commenting on the video have compared it to World War I, the conflict in which millions died fighting in trenches.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more