Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, a video showing an elderly man playing the Ukrainian national anthem while travelling on his mobility scooter has gone viral on the internet.
The video was shared by Ukraine's former Ambassador to Austria Olexander Scherba. In the caption of the post, Mr Scherba informed that the clip was shot in Russian-occupied Kherson. He said that the elderly man decided to mark his birthday by driving through the crowd to the tune of Ukraine's national anthem.
Watch the video below:
The video shows the old man moving on a mobility scooter in a busy market area in Kherson while playing the Ukrainian national anthem. In the clip, while some people are seen smiling at the old gentleman, others are seen eying him cautiously.
Several people in the market also sing along to the national anthem. At the end of the video, as the song ends, people are heard cheering loudly for the elderly man and are also seen coming forward to greet him.
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Since being shared, the video has been viewed more than 198,000 times. It has also garnered nearly 8,500 likes and hundreds of comments.
One user wrote, “This made me cry… I can imagine that many are afraid to react, not knowing who's watching. But bravo for him and those that responded. You will win!” Another said, “My greatest respect to this elder man - and all brave Ukrainians resisting the fascist Russian occupation.” A third added, “Happy birthday, brave Ukrainian! The world always stands with you and all the Ukrainians. I hope you'll be able to celebrate your next birthday in peace.”
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Kherson is located in southern Ukraine and it was one of the first Ukrainian cities to be fully captured by Russia in late February. Last month it was reported that Russian authorities in the region had handed out Russian passports to local residents. According to Russia's TASS agency, 23 Kherson residents received a Russian passport at a ceremony through a “simplified procedure” facilitated by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
