An 80-year-old man in Ukraine was photographed apparently trying to volunteer in the army to fight the Russian invaders “for his grandkids.”
The photo was shared on social media by former Ukrainian first lady Kateryna Yushchenko Thursday night.
It shows the elderly man in a black cap approaching a Ukrainian soldier with a leather bag.
Someone posted a photo of this 80-year-old who showed up to join the army, carrying with him a small case with 2 t-shirts, a pair of extra pants, a toothbrush and a few sandwiches for lunch. He said he was doing it for his grandkids. pic.twitter.com/bemD24h6Ae
— Kateryna Yushchenko (@KatyaYushchenko) February 24, 2022
“Someone posted a photo of this 80-year-old who showed up to join the army, carrying with him a small case with 2 t-shirts, a pair of extra pants, a toothbrush and a few sandwiches for lunch,” Yushchenko wrote. “He said he was doing it for his grandkids.”
It’s not clear where the picture was taken, but it went viral Friday as Russia advanced its attack on Ukraine, bearing down on the capital of Kyiv.
Yushchenko’s tweet has been favorited more than 270,000 times and retweeted more than 42,000 times by Saturday morning, with social media users applauding the grandfather’s bravery.
Thousands volunteer in Ukraine
Civilians all over the country are taking up arms against Putin’s troops.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense had issued a call for civilians between 18 and 60 to take up arms to help defend the country, but on Friday, as Russian troops got closer to the center of Kyiv, he asked anyone over the age of 18 to volunteer.
The government has also banned men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving Ukraine.
Volunteer fighters armed with assault rifles patrolled central Kyiv on Friday, ready to defend their country.
Follow live updates. https://t.co/hQc2wYb6r0 pic.twitter.com/n2B2lPrgVL
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 26, 2022
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