How Ordinary Ukrainian Citizens Have Been Fighting for the Country as Russia Continues to Invade

It has been over four months since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. Since then, millions of Ukrainians have fled their home due to attacks, while those that remained in their country have found unique ways to fight.

Many ordinary Ukrainian citizens have been very active in fighting for their country and helping their military fight back against the Russian aggressor. Briefly News takes a look at some of the remarkable things Ukrainian citizens have done to fight for their country.

1. Ukraine citizens raise over R300 million to buy drones

In order to help their troops and increase the military's drone fleet, Ukrainian citizens were able to donate approximately R385 million to the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation in just three days.

The crowdfunding initiative was organised by Ukrainian showman Serhiy Prytula who said the money was meant to purchase three Bayraktar drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Ukrinform.

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The donations exceeded their expectations because they thought it would take longer to raise that kind of money. They also managed to raise enough money to buy a fourth drone.

"The People's Bayraktar project is considered to have been successfully completed. We have four drones!" Prytula said.

Prytula's funding raising campaign has even inspired Polish citizens, who have also started raising money for the Ukrainian military to buy more drones.

The project is called "Polish combat drones for Ukraine" and was launched on Wednesday, 13 July, according to Newsweek. The campaign aims to raise over R14 million.

2. Ukrainian woman use jars of pickled tomatoes to attack Russian troops

Ukrainian citizens have always been ready to fight back against Russia's military and they have been doing so in their own unique ways. A Ukrainian grandmother told BusinessInsider that she managed to take down a Russian drone using a jar of pickled tomatoes.

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The elderly woman who goes by the name Elena told journalists that she was sitting on her balcony having a smoke when the Russian drone suddenly appeared.

With quick thinking, the woman threw the jar of the pickled tomatoes and plums at the drone out of fear that it might fire at her, according to The Mirror. Elena and her husband took action and threw the pieces of the drone in multiple bins just in case it could be tracked.

Elena became a hero to many and even went viral on social media after the news broke.

3. Ukrainians build Molotov cocktails to fight Russians

In the early days of the war, Ukrainians were teaching each other how to make Molotov cocktails as means to fight back against Russian troops.

Multiple Google searches show that many were curious about how to make homemade bombs. Students and young people were at the centre of the production of these homemade bombs, and some even made step-by-step Youtube tutorials, according to The Guardian.

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Lyubov Svyrydenko, head of Mriya, a non-profit organisation told Time.com that Molotov cocktails because citizens need to protect themselves. Svyrydenko added that Russian troops are attacking on all fronts and they need to be prepared.

A few Russian tanks have already been attacked with Molotov cocktails and other homemade bombs. Ukrainian citizens have shown that they are willing to allow Russian troops to takeover.

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Briefly News previously reported that In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, Mr Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, questioned the assertion that “Ukrainians and Russians are one people” when Moscow is committing genocide in Kyiv.

He said Moscow has carried out three man-made famines that took the lives of at least four million people in Ukraine.

“We're being subjected to genocide. A true genocide. And, all the while, they keep saying that Ukrainians and Russians are one people. But even Hutus and Tutsis would've had much more grounds for such claims,” he added, making reference to the Rwandan genocide.

Source: Briefly News