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An unarmed, “elderly” Ukrainian couple who stood up to a group of Russian soldiers on their property is gaining international praise after video of the encounter went viral.
“#UkrainianHeroes,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine tweeted Friday. “Today we salute this elderly couple, who stood up to three Russian soldiers.”
Surveillance video shows armed, uniformed troops breaking through a gate in the couple’s driveway with a dog barking somewhere nearby.
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After they walk out of the camera’s view, a loud gunshot can be heard. The video then cuts to another angle inside the gate, where the couple, wearing blue sweaters and black pants, approaches the soldiers.
They can be heard shouting back and forth.
A fourth soldier waited at the edge of the property as the argument heated up.
In this screen grab, Russian soldiers attempt to invade an elderly Ukrainian couple’s home.
(U.S. Embassy in Kyiv)
After several minutes arguing, the soldiers turn around and leave. The couple walks them toward the gate, then closes it behind them.
According to Ukraine media, the exchange took place in Mykolayiv Oblast, about 80 miles east of Odesa in the country’s south.
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It’s not the first time the U.S. government has praised Ukrainians for their bravery in the face of a larger, better equipped invading Russian army.
“The Ukrainians have also retained a lot of their combat power,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a news briefing a week into Vladimir Putin’s invasion. “And they’re fighting back. They’re fighting back bravely.”
And Ukrainian defense forces stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea earned international praise on Feb. 24 when they responded to a Russian naval vessel demanding their surrender with defiance.
“Russian ship, go f— yourself!” one of them said over a loudspeaker.
The 13 marines and border guards were initially believed to have been killed in the ensuing bombardment. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they would all be honored posthumously as heroes.
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But the Ukrainian navy later announced they were all alive, captured by Russian forces.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claimed it sank the ship that attacked the marines earlier this week after troops in the port city of Odesa launched a rocket attack at ships approaching their shores.
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.
