A fearless Ukrainian man removed a land mine from a bridge with his bare hands while casually puffing on a cigarette, startling video shows.
The viral footage viewed millions of times since surfacing online Sunday shows the unidentified daredevil springing into action in the southern port city of Berdyansk instead of waiting for Ukrainian bomb disposal units.
One 38-second clip shows the courageous man, clad in jeans and a black coat with a cigarette precariously hanging from his lip, gripping the landmine with two hands after apparently finding it in a roadway.
He then walks the device — which did not detonate in the video — into a nearby forest as an onlooker records his stunning bravery.
The man’s fearlessness in the face of Russia’s invasion quickly took off on social media, with some praising him as an absolute “badass.”
“Ukrainian men are picking up LAND MINES with their bare hands while smoking cigarettes and walking them to safety,” one tweet read. “American men are picking up cigarettes and joining truck convoys because masks are really annoying.”
“You may think you’re tough, but are you a Ukrainian citizen removing a land mine while smoking a dart tough?” another tweet read.
Some online identified the device as a TM-62 land mine allegedly planted under a nearby bridge by Russian forces. Others claimed the footage is another example of extreme bravery by everyday citizens — days after another Ukrainian man desperately tried to block a Russian military convoy by stepping in front of a speeding truck.
“You cannot defeat these people, go home Russia,” another tweet read.
The clip also impressed Texas Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat from southwest Houston.
“This is why the Ukrainians will win: Ukrainian see anti-tank mine,” Wu tweeted. “Ukrainian picks up anti-tank mine. Ukrainian moves anti-tank mine barehanded. Ukrainian does it while smoking.”
“Nothing to see here,” another commenter deadpanned.
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