A Ukrainian soldier blew himself up to destroy a bridge in an attempt to thwart a column of Russian tanks from advancing.
The Ukrainian military hailed Marine battalion engineer Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych as a hero for sacrificing his life for the country.
The Ukrainian military said on its Facebook page that Volodymyrovych was posted at the Henichesk bridge, a strategic point linking Crimea and mainland Ukraine, when a column of Russian tanks advanced.
According to the post, “On this difficult day for our country, when the Ukrainian people gave way to the Russian occupiers in all directions, one of the hardest places on the map of Ukraine was the Crimean intersection, where one of the first enemies met a separate marine battalion.”
Volodymyrovych volunteered to place mines on the bridge after it was decided that the only way to block the armoured column was by blowing up the bridge, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
Heroic deed of 🇺🇦 sailor Vitaliy Skakun, slowed down the advance of🇷🇺 occupiers on the Crimean Isthmus. He blew up Henichny Road Bridge at the cost of his own life, thus stopping movement of 🇷🇺 tank column. Eternal memory! #StopRussianAggression#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/vuvNvwakZF
— Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) February 25, 2022
When he realised that he had no time to get cover, the soldier decided to make the ultimate sacrifice on the bridge.
“The bridge was mined, but he didn’t manage to get away from there,” the military said in a statement.
The Independent reported that according to his comrades, Volodymyrovych’s “heroic act” significantly slowed the advancement of the Russian forces, allowing the unit to relocate and organise defence.
Military commanders said they planned to give Volodymyrovych a posthumous award for his “heroic act.”
More than 195 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the Russian invasion, the country’s health minister said on Saturday.