Ukrainian woman who ‘downed drone with tinned tomatoes’ speaks out
09.03.2022 - 23:25
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Two million Ukrainians have fled the country after it was invaded by Russia over a week ago, with civilians leaving behind their homes, unsure if they will return.
But many citizens continue to remain in the country, and have chosen to fight back against Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Some have received basic military training as the Russian troops advance on the country, yet one citizen took a different approach, The Mirror reports.
READ MORE: The latest companies to pull out of Russia as Heineken, Universal and McDonald's join the list
A woman reportedly knocked a drone out of the air using a jar of canned tomatoes and plums.
Ukrainian news site Liga.net.ua spoke to the woman - known only as Elena - who is part of a spirited group taking a stand against Russia.
She told Liga Net that she was sitting on the balcony of her flat in Kyiv smoking when the drone suddenly appeared.
In a bid to halt the device, she threw a jar of canned tomatoes and plums stored under her chair, to halt the device in case it fired at her.
Incredibly, she knocked it out of the air - and a legend was born, as a rumour claiming she'd neutralised the device with a cucumber went viral on social media.
Elena and her husband distributed the remnants of the drone in a number of bins, in case the device could be tracked.
They also cleared up glass fragments so their neighbour's dogs wouldn't risk suffering from cuts on their paws.
She told the paper she thinks the device was operated by looters looking for empty flats to enter and steal from.
Elena added that she decided "instantly" that she wouldn't be leaving Kyiv after Russia invaded the country, and had no regrets about staying as she pledged to fight.
Her story of defiance was first shared by