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'Go home': Ukrainian civilians confront Russian soldiers

'Go home': Ukrainian civilians confront Russian soldiers
Crowd of Ukrainian civilians confront Russian soldiers
TikTok/igorevich_9008

Footage filmed showing the bravery of Ukrainians as they marched in protest towards Russian forces while shots were fired has gone viral on TikTok.

TikToker Igor Evich (@igorevich_9008) posted the three videos that he has dated between March 2nd-5th, which appear to be in the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, that show a group confronting Russian soldiers.

The Russian soldiers then fired shots into the air in response to warn protesters away, while chants of "go home" can also be heard from local protesters.

In one of the clips, the protesters can be seen waving their Ukrainian flags as a Russian tank with a Russian flag and soldiers are stationed opposite, blocking off a road.

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According to eyewitnesses, Russian troops fired automatic rifles in a failed bid to disperse the crowd but eventually left the city centre, The Mirror reported.

Since posting the footage, Evich's videos of the confrontation have gone viral after they received 4.2m views in total.

This is not the only footage to emerge on the ground in Melitopol. Another video shows similar scenes of protests from Ukrainians while shots can be heard in the background, as the protestor who filmed the footage told Radio Free Europe: "They are trying to intimidate us."

Locals determined to block the path of Russian military vehicles even bravely threw themselves to the ground in resistance while chanting "Occupants!" and "Murders!"

Meanwhile, other cities are also protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine's first deputy minister of foreign affairs, Emine Dzheppar, shared a video taken of protesters in Kherson in which a sea of Ukrainian flags can be seen.

The bravery of residents has also been exemplified in the town of Enerhodar who reportedly blocked a road in order to prevent a Russian military column from reaching a nuclear plan, Evening Standardreported.

While protests continue, the head of the UN refugee agency has said more than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine in search of sanctuary in neighbouring countries within the 10 days since the invasion began.

"This is now the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. In the coming days millions more lives will be uprooted, unless there is an immediate end to this senseless conflict," the UN Refugee Agency tweeted.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

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