Ukrainian civilian tries to block Russian convoy, identical to Tiananmen Square 'tank man'

In an incident reminiscent of the unforgettable iconic unknown protester who stood in the way of Chinese communist tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, a similar 'Tank Man' has also now emerged in Ukraine. In visuals said to be from Ukraine's Kherson, an individual threw himself in the path of a column of advancing Russian armoured military vehicles, doggedly trying to block their path as they tried to get past him. 

The visuals, more than three decades later have stirred the same emotions that arose when the infamous 'Tank Man', an ordinary Chinese citizen took on a column of tanks fearlessly in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Stopping in their path arbitrarily, with a pair of shopping bags in hand, the picture of the brave hero became a defining image of the 1989 pro-democracy protests.

June 5, 1989, A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Changan Blvd. in Tiananmen Square (AP Photo/Jeff Widener, File)

Russia 'ready' to hold talks with Kyiv

For weeks, Moscow massed over 150,000 troops on Ukraine's borders in a bid to pressurise Western nations to not allow Ukraine to join NATO. On February 24, Putin ordered a special military operation in Ukraine's Donbass region, which quickly accelerated into precision airstrikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, deployed tanks towards Lviv from the Belarus-Ukraine border.

After surrounding Kyiv, Kremlin on Friday announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to hold talks with Ukraine. According to state-run media Sputnik, Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk for negotiations with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that a Russian diplomatic delegation, including Foreign Ministry, Defence and Administration officials, could be sent to Minsk. Ukraine has reportedly rejected Russia's offer, seeking talks in Poland's capital Warsaw instead.