We’re on the fifth day of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the invasion is going very poorly. The Ukrainian army and people have defended successfully against Russia’s relentless attacks, with the entire western world coalescing to provide immediate support. The whole conflict has been unfolding under our eyes in real-time. It’s all thanks to an avalanche of photos and videos from the front that have shown us in great detail the horrors of modern-day warfare.
We saw the Russian airstrikes and missiles wreaking havoc; the Ukrainian drones and planes and convoy ambushes; and the fierce fighting in the streets at night. We also saw Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian homes, schools, and hospitals, which amounted to additional life loss.
But in all of that, we caught unexpected glimpses at the Russia-Ukraine war, clips that seem to come out of a movie rather than real-life events.
The horrors of the war
We’ll cover some of the meme-worthy videos coming from the front line below but not before reminding you of the horrors of the war. According to official statistics from the Ukrainian government, 352 civilians died during four days of fighting, including 14 children. Nearly 1,700 people were injured. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing their homes, seeking shelter in neighboring countries.
Separately, the actual casualties of war are mounting. Russia has lost more than 5,000 soldiers so far, with hundreds of others being captured. And many lives paid for Ukraine’s fierce resistance.
Millions of people in Ukraine will suffer the direct consequences of war in their streets. And millions of Russians will start learning the truth about the Russian-Ukrainian war and experience the economic side-effects as they go about their everyday lives.
With that in mind, we’ll show you several clips in what follows that highlight the unexpected humor in the war.
All of Ukraine goes to war
People have been streaming live from the Russia-Ukraine war, including soldiers like the one below. We have no idea who he is and whether he survived the nights of heavy fighting. But he posted a hilarious warning to his Russian fellow soldiers, warning them not to attack. Or surrender if they do.
Here’s a similar clip, with subtitles, showing two other soldiers that echo the same warning:
Not all Ukrainian warriors are in uniform. But they’re anything but scared of the invader. Like these people messing with unexploded Russian ordinance in the street like it’s inoffensive:
Or this man removing a Russian mine with his bare hands from the street, all without dropping his cigarette:
Or these regular people blocking a column of Russian tanks and forcing them to turn back:
What’s certain is that Ukraine’s morale has been very high:
And it starts from the top, where the Ukrainian President has been asking for ammunition in live streams from Kyiv, not rides to take him to safety:
Ukraine citizens taking Russia’s tanks and equipment
The myth of the Russian army crumbled in just a few days of heavy fighting in Ukraine. The tanks and mechanized units looked scary, and the first day of the Russia-Ukraine war showed an incredible advance from the Russian forces. They seemed unstoppable. But the Ukraine forces pushed Russia back. Ukraine recovered the lost ground after fierce fighting.
As the days went on, we started seeing the truth. The Russian equipment isn’t always working. And when it works, it can be destroyed or captured. On top of that, the tanks often run out of fuel. Crews have to leave their vehicles or wait for the supply train to reach them. Like these Russian soldiers who don’t know where they are in Ukraine, but they ran out of gas:
That’s how usual people who aren’t even part of the regular Ukrainian army captured Russian equipment.
Like these guys taking a selfie near an abandoned transporter:
Some farmers brought on their tractors to take the entire tank home. It’s probably still working. All it needs is fuel and a highly-trained crew:
Stealing Russia’s wheeled armored transport is simpler than that. You just drive it home if it has enough fuel:
If the tank is destroyed or parked in a ditch, Ukrainians have shown they can compromise. The main turret’s machine gun will work wonders:
The Russian army
Russia’s army is running out of fuel, morale, ammunition, and food. The resupply issues combined with the staunch Ukrainian defense have prevented the invaders from conquering the capital or other big cities.
Russia will never acknowledge supply issues, but social media recording the war contradicts them. Take these Russian soldiers “shopping” for groceries over the weekend. Their rations must have run out:
Other Russian soldiers went to the bank. It certainly beats engaging Ukraine soldiers in firefights:
Others were captured while seeking directions. You can get lost in a foreign country:
Not all tractors pulling tanks are from Ukraine. If you see tractors with letters on them, including Z or V, they came from Russia. Apparently, they’re needed on the front to grab the equipment that malfunctioned or ran out of fuel:
The anti-Russia trolls
The Russia-Ukraine war isn’t fought only on the ground. There’s a massive cyberattack targeting the invaders, just as Russian hackers have been trying to knock off the Ukrainian defenses.
Independent attackers under the Anonymous banner have accomplished all sorts of feats. Including trolling Putin, as seen below:
The hackers are targeting the Russian press too:
Not all the trolling happens online, though. Check out this Georgian maintenance ship refusing to refuel a Russian commercial ship. Instead, the captain tells the Russian vessel to row to their destination now that they’re running on fumes:
An early event in the Russia-Ukraine war inspired the Georgian captain. A Russian warship asked the Ukrainian garrison of a tiny island in the Black Sea to surrender on the first day of the war. The 13 soldiers told the Russian ship to “go f*ck yourself!”
Apparently, even Carlsberg is offering free empty bottles to Ukraine, according to the following clip. The equipment might be needed for a particular type of Ukrainian drink that the Ukrainian government instructed their citizens to make in preparation for the imminent fighting in city streets.
