In the Somev videos and pictures, the tractors are towing Russian armored vehicles.
There are many different videos on the go with the same theme. Adobe Stock / AOP
The modest tractor has quickly become one of the great symbols of Ukraine’s defense. Videos and pictures of tractors towing Russian armored vehicles have spread rapidly on social media.
The accuracy of the videos has not been confirmed, but their impact has been really great. Tractor mimes have begun to spread and have even been turned into t-shirts and web-based gaming.
First video the tractor towing the tank appeared on the internet as early as 28 february. The video shows someone running after a tank trying to catch it desperately. In connection with the video, a description was published: “A Ukrainian farmer steals a Russian tank under the noses of the occupying Russians”. The video has been viewed over 150,000 times on Youtube alone.
Similar videos and pictures started appearing in the world soon after the first video. For example, videos have been uploaded to Twitter where green John Deere pulls tanks along you with music playing in the background.
Bellingcat, who specializes in investigative journalism, told the news For motherboardthat it has not been able to confirm any in relation to the tractors towing the tanks. The motherboard states that the reality doesn’t matter in the big picture to the people who share them and turn them into memes.
– It is a powerful symbol that confirms the two-pronged view of the war: Russia’s military equipment is not prepared for this war, and everyone in Ukraine is ready to fight Russia – including farmers, Motherboard writes.
As the Motherboard notes, such videos and images are important and instill a fighting spirit in Ukrainian forces. However, hijacking armored vehicles is not impossible on a mental level. Ukraine has previously seized Russian combat material in various forms.